Where the Wild Things Go
by squeekness
Summary: Book five and conclusion to my Children of the Gods series. Sometimes the Wild Things just need a place to go. Logan and Kyle need some recovery time after their ordeal.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Book five of my Children of the Gods series. Sometimes the Wild Things just need a place to go. Logan and Kyle need some recovery time after their ordeal.

Rated M for language and some minor sexual content.

Disclaimer : I do not own the X-men or any of their associated villains, but all of the Siskans, the members of the Red Team besides Kyle, any of the characters that are involved with the Twilight dimension are mine. Please do not use them without my permission. Thanks. :)

This is an illustrated work and the art is or will be available soon on my website which you can get to by clicking on my profile. This book will have four chapters when complete, a new one going up every few days if all goes well.

(One)

Remy stepped down the ramp of his small craft, smiling when he felt a blast of warm Arizona air hit his face and blow his hair around a little bit. He had taken off his coat in anticipation of it and had been rewarded. He would take this desert heat over the snows of Maine anytime. Not quite the feel of home, but better.

He was pleased all over again when he saw who was waiting for him. Molly was there minus the twins, but she wasn't alone. Asher stood beside her, a Siskan and another of Kimble's clutch mates. Of course he was Brother Asher these days with his conversion to Christianity and all of the good work he was doing in the Complex helping the lost and forgotten. His reputation was spreading daily through the facility and always in a positive way, something that made the Thief very proud.

Kimble was handsome enough with his blended skin but Asher gave him some real competition for beauty and was very much a showstopper in his own right. He didn't have a long, pretty ponytail or lovely white wings, but he was blessed with a skin just as mystical. He had the body of a sturdy brindle and grey pony but also the torso of a handsome teenaged youth besides - a true centaur at first glance. He was just a simple Siskan though, and one of the most humble persons Remy had ever known. His hair was light grey, almost white, and his lashes were as well, making him look sleepy and safe, a child who would never harm a soul. Always around his neck hung a large shiny silver cross on a leather thong, making his faith well advertised to any who might look.

Asher was one of the newer Siskans to arrive here and because his previous Master, Trishnar, upon his untimely death had made a gift of him to the Thief, Asher considered Gambit his Master. He stubbornly refused to be convinced otherwise no matter how many times Gambit insisted that he was as free as any other person here. Asher preferred servility and since Remy would not have him wait on him, Asher mainly served the community at large instead, working with the orphans and the ones who felt they didn't fit in all that well. He found them housing, saw to it they were enrolled in classes, and were not left to fend for themselves. He was quite valuable, his willingness to devote all of his time to these tasks took a lot of the pressure off of others who had enough work to do on other things.

Now, outside on the tarmac, Asher submissively let Molly have first crack at the Thief, allowing her to throw her arms around his Master tightly without comment, though Asher did smile at it. Molly squeezed Remy tightly, sniffing him over and making a face at his hand. It was bandaged neatly now, Aiden had wrapped it well.

"Ain't nuthin' but a scratch dat a stitch or two won't set right, don't you fret," he was quick to assure her. He had come home from jobs with much worse and they both knew it.

Asher made sure he got his own hug as well. "The Lord brung ya home safe, Nebannon," he whispered happily in Remy's ear as he did so. Nebannon was a Siskan nickname that mean 'beloved' or something highly valued, a moniker that Remy didn't always feel he deserved, but one that Asher refued to give up. "We been mightily blessed."

"Bien sur. Did y'all bring Simone like I asked?"

"He's just over there, he just had to gives his Mistress a call," Asher replied, backing out of the embrace to point to where Simone stood nearby, an iPhone pressed to his ear.

It always struck Remy as odd to see a Siskan on a phone ever since Kimble had developed a fierce aversion to the things after a cruel Master wholloped him good with a leather belt for using one. The others had no such fears and took to technology quickly whenever it was offered. Simone was checking in with his Mistress, Rogue, who was going to be quarantined with the others on board the Lucky Dragon that had just touched down only moments before.

"If he's askin' permission to go on board there he can forget it," Logan growled as he came walking up. "We need a door."

"It ain't the usual time," Asher questioned mildly, not really arguing. He never did. "They won't be expectin' yous."

"Too damn bad."

Asher nodded, taking a submissive step backwards, nervous around Logan's gruff anger. He was as good with the shines as any of his clutch mates and he could see Logan wasn't fooling around. Asher motioned to Simone for him to come and Simone nodded, but he also raised a finger, asking for another moment longer to stay on the phone.

Logan growled through tightly clenched teeth, irritated with the delay. He had watched as Kyle stumbled sleepily down the ramp, the boy was still very weak even after his short nap. Grace had assisted him, but she wasn't as strong and Kyle, skinny though he might be, was heavy. As soon as he came to a stop, Kyle slumped to the ground in a heap, breathing heavily with pain. The nap he had taken on the ride home had helped but he was going to need a much more substantial rest to fully recover from the physical and psychological abuse he had suffered this day. Following closely behind was John, his eyes bright at having a new place to discover and his nose was busy, learning new smells.

Logan had wanted Simone to meet them here because while he was talented in many ways, Simone had only one gift that had ever interested Logan – his ability to conjure doors to other worlds. The world in particular that Logan wanted access to was Twilight, the land that his chase after the troublesome Jason Frost had led him to. That particular world was quite small, consisting of a single large island surrounded by an endless fresh water sea, but the X-men had claimed it for themselves. They used it as a separate base of operations and sometimes as a place of rest for those who just needed some time away. It was for the latter reason that Logan wanted to go there. He was thinking of the huge forest and sweet smelling flowers. It was a place that he could take John where Romulus could never find him. John would never be forced to go where he didn't want to ever again. He could be wild there forever if he chose it.

To facilitate travel back and forth to Twilight Simone was asked to open a door at pre-scheduled times, allowing for both supplies and people to be moved without hassle. While it was unusual for Simone to be asked to open a door off schedule, it wasn't unheard of. It shouldn't have been an issue. The problem at the moment of course was Rogue. Simone was worried and annoyed he was being denied access to her.

Asher paid Logan no mind as the feral man grew ever more impatient, but used the delay to look the kids over as the remainder of Remy's Red Team disembarked, his smile growing widest when they passed over Julien. His quick and observant eyes had noted what was missing right away – Julien's restraining collar. Free with his emotions, Asher laughed with genuine pleasure and gave the boy a big squeeze and a sloppy kiss on the top of his head. "Ya done it, kid! I knews ya would someday, praise Jesus. M' so proud of yous."

Julien grunted at being embraced so tightly, but he endured it like a trooper and was grinning broadly. He didn't let many people touch him but Asher and Kimble were the two exceptions. Asher didn't keep him long but let him go, his eyes already going over the others as they passed. He reached out and snagged Izzie next as she came close, leaning forward to whisper something in her ear. She smiled at him, her eyes wet with tears.

"What was that about?" Logan growled, irritated. He still didn't fully trust any of the Siskans, not even Asher who had never harmed a soul.

"Dat's 'tween him and her," Remy replied, his eyes merry. He hadn't needed to hear the words to know that it had been something positive. Her shine alone proved it. She was still feeling shaky over having contributed so little to help but now she was better. That was all he cared about it.

Logan snorted rather than say the nasty comment he wanted to. He was cut short by Simone finally ending his call and coming over.

Remy's ease quickly dissipated when his eyes met those of the dark skinned Siskan as he approached. Simone was pissed and at him particular it seemed. His ebony skin seemed to radiate rage like no one else's could. At first Remy couldn't imagine why Simone would be angry at anyone but then it clicked. With his Mistress being held apart, he wouldn't have access to her and since it had been Remy's distress call that she had answered, Gambit was to blame for their separation. Great. No brownie points for him.

"I need a door," Logan demanded without preamble once Simone was in earshot.

Simone's hard and furious eyes never left Remy's face as he said, "This ain't no reg'lar time an' M' Mistress needs me more."

"Rogue ain't gonna get sick," Wolverine argued, though he couldn't possibly know that as fact. He could see Simone was pissed at Remy and being aware of the Siskan's jealousy could figure out why but he didn't have time for it. "This needs doing first."

Simone finally looked at him and squinted, reading him and his shine without guile. Simone didn't care what anyone thought of him and didn't have the mind to try and hide it though it could be perceived as rude to stare at someone like that. "Fer how long?"

"For however long it takes," Logan snarled, in no mood to deal with petulant Siskans. "Get it done."

Simone gasped softly in angry surprise at being so harshly spoken to, he was no longer used to such things though it had certainly happened before. His hands fisted and he turned his head away, though Logan hadn't even noticed. He was looking at John and Kyle, gesturing for them to come.

"We got people sick dat need to cross over," Remy scrambled to explain to Simone even though he had no ground to stand on with the guy. Either the Siskan would comply or he wouldn't, but it would be easier if he did. "It a favor for dem not fo' us."

Lucky for the Thief, Kyle's shine was bad enough for even a poorly trained Siskan to read and understand. He nodded at Remy, releasing his anger but not quite forgiving him. Gambit didn't care, he was just happy to see all the tension vanish as Simone worked his magic. The air rippled next to them and a very realistic wooden door wisped into view, complete with a frame and golden doorknob.

"After yous," Simone offered as the door swung open. "I'll waits here fer ya."

Remy watched as Logan passed through the door, his arm supporting a very tattered and battered Kyle along the way. John followed at his heels without hesitation, curious as to where they were going. Grace had followed them as well without bothering to ask for permission, not ready to have Kyle out of her sight.

Remy was torn – should he follow or stay here? He had Julien here and it was his responsibility to see to the kids, but Kyle was his more so than Logan's really. He should be the one handling that. Kimble was still injured and in need of care. But Remy couldn't be in three places at once.

"Goes with him," Kimble's voice came to him, still raspy with pain. "We's home now and Aiden kin takes care of me and Ash them others. Molly got her kiss. It's Kyle what needs you now."

Remy looked at him, his most favored Siskan. It pleased him to hear Kimble's voice and see his personal shine, knowing that now that they were home Zander would be put aside, sleeping until called for again. Hopefully, anyhow. But poor Kimble's hands... they were still so mushy and burnt.

"Zere isz sztill an hour or szo of szun, mebbe more," Aiden answered in agreement, seeing where his Team Leader's eyes had gone. "Zey will 'eal faszter 'ere zan over dere, non?"

Remy knew this to be true. Twilight was not a dark place, but it wasn't particularly bright. It was always cloudy with hazy clouds that kept its one sun from full brightness. He also knew that Aiden was giving him an out. He could follow Logan and be reassured that Kimble would be looked after.

"I won't be long," Remy promised, making his decision. It was an easy promise to make, there was a difference in time between the two worlds. An hour over there was like twenty minutes over here. He gave Molly a quick kiss and another promise, home for dinner.

_**I will wait right here for you**_, she signed.

Gambit nodded at her and then turned to the door. He wasn't alone. Throughout that whole tense conversation with Logan and Simone Hercules had lingered, letting his teammates pass him by but not willing to leave Remy alone just yet. He was smart enough to sense that there might be trouble and was willing to hang out, just in case. Remy had to admit that he was grateful for it. He couldn't be sure what might happen on the other side. Not that he was expecting anything violent, but with Kyle so trashed and John being new to him, anything funky could occur. He could appreciate Hercules' difficulty with this, he had been one of the kids rescued from Frost's clutches. Returning to Twilight was no easy task but the lad seemed willing enough.

This wasn't Gambit's first trip through these doors that Simone could make and while they might be odd to someone else, they didn't faze him at all now. He was more concerned with getting Kyle settled and then getting back home again.

Logan had witnessed none of what had transpired on the tarmac, of course, but he could have cared less if the Thief came along or not. He had other concerns and just wanted to get this finished. As soon as it had been made Logan had passed through Simone's doorway first, holding Kyle up. He smiled as soon as the scent of Honey hit his sensitized nostrils. It brought back some vivid memories of his last trip out here, but that was then, this was now.

John came through after him, more slowly now. He could tell by the others' lack of fear that the others had been here before but not him. He was feral enough to be cautious of any new environment in spite of Logan's calm. He relaxed when he saw the trees and finally fully understood what his younger brother had promised. This was much more like it. The desert had never been his home. Even he had nose enough to smell how clean the air was here, it was a place where no industry had touched. He could smell cookfires close by, they were not alone here.

"There's a campground not far from here," Logan said, confirming what John had already guessed. "But no one is going to trouble you once we let them know you're here."

John looked up at Logan. "You brung me here sos Romulus can never takes me back."

"That's right. I told you I would bring you somewhere safe and here it is. This place is special, not everyone can get to it. If you ever decide you want to come back home, folks up at the camp can get in touch with us. Or Grace can do it."

"Me?" Grace questioned. She had been to Twilight before as one of Jason Frost's kidnapped kids, but hadn't come back since she was freed. She was only here now because Logan had assisted Kyle's passage through the door. She hadn't thought it was intentional before, but now her eyes were growing big with understanding. John wasn't the only one who would be staying.

Logan looked at her with meaning. "Kyle's gonna need a kind of medicine that don't come from the sun or a bottle of pills. He needs the trees and the quiet."

Grace's face went white with undisguised alarm. She had been thinking Kyle would be better off with her at home. She hadn't guessed what had been on Logan's mind until now. "No! He needs to be with me!"

" 'E can be," Gambit was quick to promise. He hadn't been so far behind that he missed the conversation, he had heard every word. He had been anticipating this anyhow. "You can come here as often as you need to check in on him or you can even stay on at the camp if you want, d'accorde? Me an' Wolvy don't often agree on t'ings, but I t'ink he got de smart play on dis one, chere. Po' Kyle need a rest fo' real."

Grace's eyes were shiny with tears. She could usually roll with things, but she wasn't happy with this at all. She looked down at Kyle, a disheveled lump at Logan's feet. "Is this what you want?"

He looked up at her and then at John who if he had a tail to wag, would have been wagging it right quick. John could hardly contain his excitement at having all those glorious trees to run through. So many smells, so little time. It was a bit infectious and Kyle was more than a little tempted to go along. "Mrr! Maybe for just... a little while."

Grace tried not to cry but the words broke her heart just a little. She thought they had made some real progress in their relationship, even if it had been played out in front of everyone to hear. To be separated now might set them back again. Nothing could be more horrible.

"It ain't no permanent t'ing," Remy offered, though with Kyle nothing was certain.

"Whatever he needs," she answered robotically, her voice rough with emotion. They were expecting her to be going along with this, she knew. She was trying to be brave but her shine was a wreck.

It wasn't as bad as Kyle's though. Remy could see he had hit rock bottom. Yes, he and Grace were good, but the rest of him was exhausted above and beyond. Remy gestured towards the trees, but at the same time he cautioned, "You go on now, Kyle, but just you remember. Don' be killin' no people, 'specially dat little ole goat man, you 'ear?" It wasn't a joke, Kyle had killed and partially consumed one of Jason Frost's men here. The goat man was in reference to a local man that the X-men had befriended the last time they were here, a faun like creature named Leroy. "De townfolk will see to it you got plenty to eat, je promets."

The X-men's nearby camp was always well supplied and before he returned home Remy would be sure to let them know they might have to put out some food for the guys. He knew there wasn't enough game in the woods for them. The island just wasn't that big.

His decision made easy for him, Kyle grunted and moved off into the trees, stripping off his borrowed and ill fitting clothing as he went. A wild thing had no need for such things.

Grace stood there, numb, watching him go. He hadn't even said goodbye, he had simply walked away from her. It was as if the way he had clung to her the whole ride home hadn't even mattered a bit.

"Just like that," Grace said softly, still hoarse.

Remy had watched Kyle go, unable to help feeling just a little proud of the guy. He had handled himself well through the whole thing and couldn't begrudge him this time of rest and healing. Remy knew just what an achievement this day had been. Kyle's information jacket had contained some semi-detailed background information. His horrible childhood, the forced mutation. It also included the fact that Kyle had been born a normal human with certain disabilities. He had difficulty processing sensory input. He might even have been mildly Autistic, possibly Aspergers. He had been severely ADD at the very least. The forced mutation he had endured hadn't cured that, only made it more pronounced as he struggled through the military regimen they forced him through afterwards.

You wouldn't have known any of that from what Remy had seen today and in the careful and moderated training he had gone through these past months. If Weapon X had considered Kyle to be weak and inferior, poor quality, the Thief couldn't help but wonder what was their best? Logan? Sabes? He shuddered at the thought, knowing those guys had had their share of troubles as well. That was all right. Weapon X's loss had been Remy's gain.

Remy put his arm around Grace's shoulders and leaned in close to whisper, "He gone but he ain't gone, comprenez? You go on back t'rough dat door now and pack y'self a bag. Get some sleep and de next door Simone make, he goan make it fo' you. Kyle will be rested up better den, den you see what you see, eh?"

She looked into his red and black eyes and smiled her Jester's smile. "How did you get so smart?"

"Ain't no fool get to be boss, eh? You go on now."

She nodded and slipped away back to Simone's open door, still sad but better than she had been.

"You know as well as I do she's better off never comin' back here," Logan growled. "That boy just ain't worth it."

Remy nodded but it wasn't in agreement. It was simple acknowledgment of the perpetual lie - folks never seeing past Kyle's skin to what was underneath. Logan and Kyle had made peace, true, but it wasn't the same as the older man seeing the boy as having true value. Right now, the Thief was simply too tired to argue.

Logan wasn't done. "If she insists on coming back, you make her read his jacket first. I mean it. Not to mention the fact he's old enough to be her dad three times over."

"Je sais, I know. Don't worry about it." Remy's tone was curt and dismissive, he simply didn't t want to fight about it.

Wolverine didn't either. He turned to John but the man had already followed Kyle half the distance to the trees. John did pause and look back, blinking at Logan in a strange child like way. "You comin'?"

"This is for you, buddy. I've got a family," Logan offered as an excuse but he was wavering, considering it.

John could see it. "They'll wait fer ya. Been doin' it already."

Logan took a step but hesitated, looking back at Gambit as if asking permission.

Remy wasn't the last bit surprised by the offer. He had an idea Logan might run, for a short time at least. "I'll let Karen know where you at," Remy promised. "She a good girl, she'll understand."

Logan grumbled. "Will she? I'm so sick of people wanting me to take sides or tryin' to get me to do stuff I don't wanna do. Charles, Romulus, Butch, and now you. You guys can all go fuck yourselves. This is such bullshit."

"It ain't so bad as all dat, patron. You just a paranoid old man."

"Is that so?"

Remy cocked his head in confusion and Logan began to explain. For the first time, Logan told someone the full truth of that mission that Charles had given him. Of how their fearless leader had knowingly sent him to murder a child to save the lives of millions of people. It was to a certain degree justifiable, but it hadn't been without cost on Wolverine. His words had been spare and with brutal honesty. He didn't give intimate details, he just spat it all out like a dying man his sickness, a telling in of itself of just how much this had wounded the man in places that could never be seen.

Remy gave him his full attention and listened without interrupting, his eyes darkening with anger and sadness. One of the gifts that had come with the empathy was the understanding that sometimes it was better to listen than to talk and it served him well here as Logan unloaded all of his pain. Didn't mean the words didn't hurt. Remy had suspected that Logan had been sent to do something bad, the man didn't just run off like that afterwards without good reason. But this was just too heartbreaking, especially now that the Thief had kids of his own. It didn't mean he would abandon Xavier's cause, though. That at least still had merit. More than someone like Butch Madison and the Outkasts had to offer.

Wolverine saw it and he grinned harshly, showing a bit of fang. "You can't trust that old man. You can't trust nobody, boy. Best be watchin' yer back."

"You ain't de first man to give me dat advice, patron. You know Gambit always got one eye lookin' behind, de other in de front."

Logan grunted, still unconvinced. He was looking at the trees though.

Remy just smiled, seeing that in spite of all the bluster, Logan had made up his mind already. Gambit chose to be reasonable and offered, "So don't choose nuthin' permanent, at least not right now. Take some time, some real time this go around. I'll tell Karen it ain't no big deal."

"Come, brother," John invited and this time Logan could not refuse. Kyle had shucked off his borrowed clothing, not needing it here, and so Logan did as well. They were bloody and ripped up, no good for anything but burning. He slipped into the trees and then the three of them were gone.

Remy gathered up their mess and then nodded at Hercules who had been surprisingly patient and quiet all of this time. Simone's doors most often opened up onto a dirt road that led to the island's single town and so it was today. The two of them followed it to the town to inform the camp of the new arrivals. The distance was short so Remy took the opportunity to ask, "You feelin' okay? It was a rough day."

Hercules shrugged, trying to seem as though as he was stronger than everyone. His shine was swirling though. Remy couldn't recall if Hercules had ever made a trip back here since being rescued from Frost, so it might have simply been just being back here again. Hercules then said the most surprising thing. "Judas and the collar, huh? That was something. Ballsy."

Remy started to snap something, a knee jerk reaction to the use of the nickname he hated so much. He paused when he realized that Hercules had actually slip a compliment Julien's way. " 'E ain't so bad once you get to know him."

"Yeah, if you can get past the part where he's a complete dick, anyhow," Hercules replied to that.

Remy scowled but then realized Hercules was smiling at him, his eyes merry. He had only been joking.

"Yeah, well it ain't my fault if de LeBeau charm skip a generation," Remy teased as well, happy to have this moment. As much as Hercules had been a pain in the ass, he was here now and it wasn't just to kiss ass with the boss. He was making sure that the job was finished to the last. Something good leaders did.

**(break)**

Minutes later and his chores in Twilight finally done, Remy stepped back into the Arizona heat, blinking at bit. Going back and forth like that was a bit off putting, though he suspected he might be making more trips now. Trips enough that the change would feel like nothing. Well, temperature wise, but maybe not so with time. As if to emphasize the time difference between the two worlds, he could see Grace just going down the stairwell. He could tell by the stiff, brisk pace of her stride that in her grief she hadn't lingered long outside the door at all.

Simone, his duties now over, turned away from the Thief, stiff necked and still angry. He didn't say goodbye, he just stalked away, already reaching for his phone again. Remy doubted the guy would get permission to join his Mistress on the Lucky Dragon and he was going to be even more angry. Same shit, different day.

Hercules was ready to be done as well. He gave his Team Leader and nod and then made for the stairs and a hot meal.

Molly was still there for Remy as she had promised, waiting ever so patiently, her smile gaining wattage as soon as she saw him pass through the door. That was what he loved best about her, he supposed. Even after all this time together, she was always so happy to see him. That unconditional love was all that he craved. Her shine was extra sparkly bright, more beautiful to him now that he knew what it meant. Being feral, she might have already sensed the change in her own body, but if not he wasn't one to keep secrets from her, especially when he knew that she would be just as happy about the pregnancy as he was.

Kimble and Aiden were not far away, they had simply moved just out of earshot so that he and Molly could have some privacy when he returned. They had hunkered down on the warm pavement near the shade of the Dragon 2, shoulder to shoulder. Aiden had a lit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth and was talking rapidly. Kimble was listening intently, his arms leaned over his bent knees, his poor ruined hands soaking up the bright sun. It wouldn't be an instant healing, but the injury wouldn't take long and for that Remy was grateful. Kimble flexed his fingers from time to time as he listened to his lover ramble on, testing them.

Remy watched Kimble working his hands and he couldn't help but wonder if the child like aspects of the Siskan that he loved so well – his precious innocence – would continue to fade with each new mission. With every time Zander took him over. Remy hated to see to see Kimble deteriorate ever so slightly each time, but couldn't deny he enjoyed having him so close at hand. Their lives would be forever intertwined, they were bonded much too tightly for that to change. Kimble's shine was bright and healthy now in the middle but was still dark along the edges. If the residual pain was from his injury or something else hurting him deep inside, Remy couldn't be sure.

As if to assuage Remy's fears, Kimble interrupted his chatty lover by leaning in close to whisper something that made the smaller Siskan laugh. Kimble used the opportunity to snag Aiden's loosened cigarette, using two sloppy and burnt knuckles as a vise, but managing it just the same. He took a nice deep drag on his stolen prize suggestively in a way that was as erotic as any kiss. That simple gesture told Remy that the boys were going to be all right. It was nice to know at least someone was going to walk away from this in one piece.

The thought made his hand throb and he winced a little. Molly barked at him softly and he shook his head. "Hank's stuck in Lucky. Hope Maylee ain't so tired of stickin' me wit stitches."

Maylee was the Complex's resident nurse and doctor and training. She was more than capable of this simple repair job, but he was starting to feel just how tried he was. He wished he could just put it off, but he knew that delaying having it looked at would only make it worse. Better to just get it over with.

_**So Logan decided to stay in Twilight? **_Molly signed as they began to walk back towards the stairwell that would take them below and down to the medical bay.

"Oui, de vacation 'e took at de cabin wasn't near good enough fo' de pain 'e carry. Kyle goan stay a bit, too, maybe permanent. Only time will tell."

At the bottom of the stairs, Molly gave his arm a squeeze, sensitive enough to his moods to know the idea of losing Kyle made him sad. He paused and gave her another loving kiss, not needing a crowd to show how deep his affection ran for her. She was the most caring person he knew and losing her would devastate him, he knew that.

He broke off the kiss and palmed her face before saying, "You can go on home and wait fo' me if you like. I know you ain't no fan of the medical bay." He knew she hated watching him get patched up, she had been there too many times and all it did was fill her with worry she didn't need. It was always a painful reminder of how risky being married to him was.

_**I should get back to the twins anyhow,**_ she signed back, relieved some at his thoughtful offer. _**Don't be long. I have plans for you later. **_

Remy smiled broadly now, always happy to hear that, and gave her another squeeze before letting her go. The medical bay wasn't far from the stairs so he didn't have far to go. The emergency area was empty, always a good sign. He found Maylee relaxing in Hank's office and raised his bandaged hand at her. "You free? Goan need a stitch or two."

"Again?" she teased. "Good thing you get good medical coverage here."

Maylee led Remy to one of the beds and got him comfortable. She was considered Fallen's daughter but she was only a foster child and they looked nothing alike. Maylee looked more like Hank these days having a lovely cat face and clawed hands. She was of a brown fur as opposed to Hank's brilliant blue so there was that difference between them. She was young, only about twenty five or so but had been medically trained from a young age and Hank was glad to have her helping him out. If there was one thing the Complex was short on it was a qualified medical staff. Her shine was also quite bright. Like Molly's recent adjustment it reminded Remy that Maylee was also pregnant though much further along. In a month or so, the Complex would be having a new member.

Once Remy was settled Maylee peeled back Aiden's bandage to have a peek. "What happened here? Or is it better not to ask...?" she teased.

"Got stabbed through by a big man wit' claws. Seems Sabes still 'olds a grudge even after all dese years."

"At least this was wrapped well," she praised. "Tell me this was washed out first."

"Aiden done de best he could on de fly."

"He did a nice job, but this looks messy. Can you flex it at all?"

Remy winced at the thought of it, knowing why she was asking. If he had broken bones he wouldn't be able to move it much, but the idea of wiggling his fingers even just a little wasn't something he relished. He managed a twitch or two, but didn't dare attempting a fist. As it was a bit of sweat beaded his forehead some from the pain. This hurt like a bitch though he was doing his manly best not to let it show. It could have been a lot worse, he knew. He had worn gloves with some armor plating on them, if not for that, Sabretooth's claws would have shredded his hand into a useless ruin.

Maylee went along with his pretense, not commenting on his obvious pain. "I think you're okay, but I'll have to do a quick X-ray just to make sure."

"You de boss," he replied agreeably, happier still when she plopped a thick white pill into his good hand. He didn't need to ask what it was, he had taken plenty enough pain killers to identify this old friend. Vicodin, his favorite. It might make him a bit fuzzy, but right now he couldn't have cared less.

By the time the X-ray was done and he was returned to his nice comfy bed, he was feeling just fine. His eyes had a nice glassy sheen and he was pleasantly compliant with anything Maylee had in store for him.

She couldn't have been more pleased, he wasn't the best patient even on a good day. She scanned his films, smiling happily. "Well, the good news is you have no broken bones. Bad news is, I can't be sure about nerve damage. I'm not even close to being qualified to judge that. I'll stitch it up and Hank can look at it later when he's been cleared."

"Merci," the Thief slurred dreamily and she laughed at him, amused.

Maylee next brought out an impressive looking needle and looked at him with sympathy. "I'm going to flush this again so I'll give you a local first. Close your eyes and relax."

He leaned back and obeyed, too high to worry about it. He had a high tolerance for pain – especially when blissfully intoxicated - but wasn't a fan of needles. He had gotten enough that he wouldn't flinch but this wasn't going to be any fun.

His attempt at calm was disrupted by a new distraction – the soft whir of motorized wheels announced the arrival of Charles Xavier, the man in charge. Really, Remy shouldn't have been surprised by the visit. Normally Scott or Logan would be the one to give the debrief of the day's mission, but both were no longer available. Not that Remy minded the visit. Charles was most often too busy to see the Thief as much as they would have liked so this was an unexpected pleasure.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Charles offered as a greeting though he knew very well that he was. He also knew neither the Thief or his nurse minded, that was the plus side of being one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet. As good as Jean was, Charles was ten times better.

"Looks worse dan it is," Remy replied, shrugging it off. "Kyle was de one got de worst of de day."

"I understand you left him at Twilight?"

"Oui. He runnin' with Logan. Dey bot' need de time."

I'll let Karen know he is there, you have your hands full here, so to speak."

Remy chuckled a bit at Charles' joke but shifted with some discomfort as Maylee flushed his hand, bringing with it stinging pain in spite of the local. Neither having Charles here or the drugs were enough of a distraction for him not to feel it. He didn't let it show by saying, "De kids really stepped up out dere today. Dey 'eld deir own, wouldn't 'ave traded a single one of them."

"I knew you'd be good at this," Charles praised, though honestly he wondered how much of this conversation Remy would remember. He could tell the man was good and decently stoned. "Once you gave it a chance. Have you considered raising them up a level?"

"Still haven't rounded out my team," Remy protested vaguely though it wasn't exactly true. Even high, he could easily recall that on the ride home he had pretty much decided that every one of the kids who had showed up for the scramble was guaranteed a spot. He might even bring them up a level, from simple ones to level twos. How could he deny any of them after they had all done so well? But it would be awkward to raise some of the team and not the rest, especially when he hadn't finalized the last remaining members. On the other hand, you snooze, you lose. Next time they would be sure to answer any scramble that was sent out.

Charles smiled, not needing to read minds to figure out the thoughts that had just run through the Thief's head. "Care to give me the debrief? My usual suspects are indisposed."

Remy smiled at the joke. He disliked doing this as much as filling out those darn field reports but he gave his mentor the rundown on the day's events as best he could. He was sure to praise not only Kyle's efforts but Julien's as well. He knew Charles might take that last bit with a grain of salt, knowing Remy's personal bias, but damn, the kid really had done well, braving the removal of his collar like that. It hadn't been an easy thing.

Charles nodded and listened intently, a bit surprised that even high, Remy was able to give him a decent narrative and didn't go off track or ramble. It was only the occasional slurred word and the unfocused glaze of his eyes that gave away that he wasn't quite straight.

"Are you ready for me?" Maylee asked, holding up a suture.

As if he would refuse her. He chuckled and replied, "Stitch away, chere." The sooner she finished the sooner her could run out of here.

Remy's hand had received no more than the first stitch when he heard the sharp staccato of military boots stomping down the hallway towards the medical lab. This he should have also expected, considering that he had all but invited the head of SHIELD to come on over for that last chat.

"Damn, that looks nasty," Fury said by way of greeting.

"Ain't nuthin' but a scratch," Remy lied glibly, a matter of habit when dealing with this man. There was no trust. His eyes were fully open now, focused, or at least appearing so.

"We need to have a conversation."

"Not like I'm goan anywhere." As he spoke, his words became sharper, clearer. The man was killing his pleasant high, something he didn't much appreciate.

"So what happened today?"

"Met a petite connard name of Romulus. You ever 'ear of im?"

"No," came the curt reply, but the Thief was much too perceptive, even high, not to see the lie.

"Well, dis dude you claim not to know even though we all know you do, dis fella 'ere say de Claw People is t'inkin' of takin' over de worl'. He got himself an army of de Clawed and Furry to 'elp out wit' dat and he didn't seem afraid to use us fo' de test run. He even got ole Sabes wit 'im."

"I thought Sabes was with you."

"He got took after we shut down Frost. Didn't Logan tell you?"

"No, he did not," came the sharp and irritated reply. He hadn't liked the Thief's tone. "Where's Logan? I'd like to ask him about that myself."

" 'E ain't 'ere."

Fury ground his teeth, a sound the Thief could hear. "Where is he, then?"

"Twilight."

"That's convenient."

"Is it?" Remy challenged a bit sharply. "Dat boy's been run hard. Not convenient at all."

"I want a door."

"Not going to 'appen," came the quick refusal. It wasn't that Remy was trying to be difficult on purpose – though it was amusing him to no end to be so – it was that Simone's identity was being kept secret from SHIELD lest they try and steal him away. Gambit wouldn't betray any Siskan, even those who hated him as much as Simone did.

"He is taking a much deserved rest," Charles interrupted, finally taking charge. He had been happy to let Remy do most of the talking until now. He hadn't liked how tense things were growing, so he was hoping to calm them down some. "As you know he was instrumental in eliminating the Flush threat. He's earned some time off."

Remy froze, reading an awful lot in so short a sentence. When Logan had explained about that horrible mission, Remy hadn't wanted to believe it had actually happened. Since then the Thief hadn't had a chance to fully digest what the man had told him. Well, that and his most pleasant high that was now dissipating had helped him to forget that conversation. The confirmation on Fury's face brought it all home again for Remy now. Remy closed his eyes a moment, resting his head back in exasperation.

Gambit had always had the highest regard for his mentor but this reminder of that ugly truth was a serious blow to that notion. He was never a fan of a kill mission though he understood sometimes it just had to be done. But to send Logan out to eliminate a child, a deed that had ended up making him go half mad, was something else. There was no way that a telepath like Charles could argue that he wouldn't have appreciated the effect it would have. And to think that sending Remy and his Siskans out to Maine to comfort him was going to fix that was even more deluded and outright demeaning in a way – that Charles would have had so simple an out after commanding such a horrible thing.

"I know that mission was a shitty deal," Fury agreed solemnly. He was deliberately evasive, uncomfortable with not knowing how much Remy knew. "But he's a soldier and soldiers know the risks of what they do, especially when it's for the greater good."

Remy grit his teeth, he couldn't help it. These two seemed to be talking about Logan like it had been a simple in and out mission he had been sent on. It was like they didn't take Logan's suffering that seriously.

Xavier lay a hand on Remy's arm, wordlessly letting him know that wasn't the case at all. But it was Fury he spoke to when he asked, "What do you want, Nicholas?"

"I still need that door or I'll have you arrested for obstruction." It annoyed Fury to no end that he had to beg for doorways to a place he felt his agency should have full access to. He could think of many possible threats from such an unguarded – in his opinion – place.

Remy just snorted in derision, though he was glad for the change in topic. "You just got handed a base of operations ready to move in, you should be t'ankin' us. Or mebbe it be Butch you should be grateful to. You an' me bot' know de only reason you come all dis way is on account dat we available for askin' what you already know an' he ain't."

"Like you don't have Butch on speed dial?" Fury retorted angrily. The childish reply seemed so incongruous with his starched, stiff uniform. It was beneath him but he was angry at being denied those things he felt entitled to. "I thought all you mutant types were chummy."

Remy shrugged, inwardly pleased at scoring such an irritated response. He felt he had the upper hand here and it made him confident enough to reply, "Ain't no Blue Sheet folks 'ere, homme. Just us regular guys. On de subject of suspicious associations, mebbe we should be askin' you if Romulus – dis fella you say you don' even know – on yo' payroll, seein' as 'ow he got one or two of your fancy ass trains."

"Those were reported stolen."

"Bien sur. 'Course dey was," Remy snorted. "And dis Flush gun Logan saw? 'Suppose you don' know nuthin' 'bout Stark weaponizin' a disease you just saw de end of de source of, eh? Dat was convenient. Now you got it all to y'own self."

Fury didn't reply to the questions, but Remy knew the truth in the man's shine as he evasively changed the subject. "Why were your people there, LeBeau? It was a little out of your way."

"Romulus stole ole Short and Disagreeable for a chat. We took 'im back. You caught de ass end of an extraction is all."

" 'An extraction'," Fury repeated dubiously. He didn't believe the Thief any more than the Thief did him and they both knew it.

"Oui. Dat's all dere is."

"You should let him rest," Maylee said to Fury, taking charge. Even she could see they were doing more poking at each other than actually talking. "You guys can take this up later."

"Sure," Fury replied curtly. It was hard to argue with a girl who had just had sutures in her hand. He didn't bother to say goodbye, he simply turned on his heel and stalked out as frustrated as he had been when he came in.

"Maybe you shoulda gave him a Vicodin 'stead of me," Remy teased, though he was pleased enough at how things had gone.

"It's not wise to argue with that man," Charles cautioned. Still, he couldn't disagree that Remy hadn't handled himself well enough, given the circumstances. "I'll set up a meeting with him myself, once all the field reports are in."

Remy winced at that, the thought of all that paperwork was worse than all of the stitches Maylee had just put in combined. "D'accorde," he agreed anyway, happy enough to pass the buck on that one.

"Get some rest," Charles advised, patting Remy's knee before departing himself.

Gambit sat up and swooned at bit, dizzy from the meds and laying down for so long.

Maylee eyed him warily. "You going to be okay to walk home? I can get someone to bring you a wheelchair."

Remy brushed her off with a raised hand. "M fine. Just need a minute is all."

Maylee handed him a prescription bottle with a couple of pills rattling around inside. "Some more Vicodin if your hand gets too sore."

"Merci," he replied to her, happy to have them. He was going to sleep well tonight. Well, after the sweet surprise his loving wife had in store for him that was. He smiled at the thought and slid to his feet, happy when they held him well enough. He had one more thing he wanted to do before heading home.

18


	2. Chapter 2

(Two)

Gambit wasn't entirely sure where Julien might be, but since the boy had left with Asher, he had an idea the pair might have made their way to the small church Asher had built in the Complex's large underground Solarium. The Solarium was an expansive, multi-level recreational park that was open to everyone. It was entirely man made, or mutant made anyhow. Its construction would never have been possible without those individuals here who had the ability to carve out such wonders by their mutations alone. Light was filtered down from outside by using large mirrors and other wonderful technological ideas the X-men super brains had come up with.

While no one was allowed official residence in this area, Asher had been granted permission for his small open sided structure as it was strictly non-denominational and open to everyone. The building consisted of a tall roof held by thick floor to ceiling beams and three open walls that weren't much more than fancy, waist high railings of carved wood. Everything was simple, stained cedar that gleamed invitingly in the Solarium's bright light. The one solid wall backed a small altar of grey marble with a large silver overhanging, empty cross. Stacks of Bibles were neatly piled to one side and there was a generous sprinkle of votive candles about. The soft scent of incense hung in the air, making the place smell as holy as it looked. Prayer kneelers had been installed and Asher had provided several translations of those stacked Bibles at his own cost to be used and taken home by anyone who wished. It had become a popular spot for those seeking solace or even just a bit of solitude. The church was set apart by tall bushes, allowing for some privacy and quiet.

The fresh air here was sweet and cool and Remy felt his happily medicated head clearing as he walked along, he was now merely high enough that he was nice and mellow, his hand hardly throbbing at all.

Remy's guess was a good one. He found the pair there in the church, deep in prayer. Asher had been deeply distressed that while Jason Frost had claimed to be a practicing Christian, he had only preached hate and vengeance, making Julien believe his own mutation had been a sign of his terrible sin. Asher was trying to correct that by instructing Julien on the ways of peace and forgiveness. It was working, the boy certainly seemed less angry these days than he had been when he first got here.

They were kneeling side by side at the altar, an open Bible between them as they each took turns choosing passages to read aloud to each other. That in itself was something —one of the things Jason Frost had used against Julien was his own ignorance. Frost had preached that it was a major crime for a mutant to touch the Book, never mind actually read from it. That way when Frost spouted the supposed words of God condemning mutants, Julien didn't have the power to question or refute what the man was teaching him. Julien just swallowed it whole. Asher was using whatever means possible to fix that and it was working. Not long ago Julien was terrified to even touch a Bible, now he was quoting whole parts of it accurately from memory.

Gambit gave them some time before rapping his knuckles on one of the large wooden posts. Asher smiled, having known the Thief was there as soon as he had walked up, his empathic vibrations were too familiar to the Siskan for that not to happen. Julien glanced up over his cupped hands, instantly wary. Remy confused him, he was never fully sure what his father wanted from him.

Remy entered the open building now that they were aware he was there. "You got a minute, Jules?"

Before the boy could answer, a small squeaky voice chirped up at the Thief, saying, "Prayerful prayers they speaks. Not polite to makes them stoppy stops, no, no it t'isn't."

Remy just smiled as the owner of that voice, a slender purple ferret type creature, slithered out from its hiding place in Asher's large lap.

"Smee, always a pleasure," Remy greeted. Smee was Asher's Angel, the same way that Angel, Kimble's daughter had been. Unlike the child, this pleasant happy creature had survived the Game intact, always eager to assault the unwary with his endless chatter. Remy knew the chiding had been playful and not of any real anger. Smee simply liked to hear his own voice and used any opportunity that presented itself.

"You just shush, now," Asher scolded his pet gently, scooping him up and cuddling his furry belly to his face. "We kin gives them some time."

Smee giggled at the attention, falling for this every time. Asher had long since learned that the best way to keep Smee's chatterboxing at bay was to simply tickle him into submission. Asher rose in a smooth graceful movement onto his sturdy pony legs and clomped outside, gently brushing Remy's shoulder with his own as he passed in a sign of affection.

Julien stood up onto his own feet, but much more slowly and stiffly than Asher had. The day had taken its toll and he was tired and weary. His eyes were still wary, not sure what this was. He leaned against one of the railings that acted as a make shift wall of the church and looked out at the privacy bushes, unsure what his father wanted.

"Relax, fils," Remy was quick to reassure. "Just wanted to see how you was, it being such a tough day and all."

"I'm fine."

"No pain?"

"No more than usual."

"Bien. I also wanted to say 'ow proud I am of you. You 'andled yourself like a champ today. Couldn't ask for better."

Julien smiled in spite of himself. Praise so seldom came his way. "Thanks," he replied. He noted the thick bandage on Remy's hand and nodded at it. "Was that bad?"

"Not'ing to worry about," Gambit brushed off quickly, not wanting to focus on himself. "Nothing like you been t'rough."

Julien was quiet, knowing the remark was directed towards his own mangled hand. It had never healed right and would never be perfect. To change the subject to something less difficult, he asked, "Can I ask you something?"

Remy smiled, happy for anything his son might say. "Absolument, fils."

"Why did you save Kyle? I heard some of the other kids say he had done... terrible things. You could have just let them take him."

Remy smiled painfully. He was aware that Julien had chosen his words carefully. It wasn't Kyle's alleged crimes he was talking about, it was the unconventional relationship with Skye which had been aired over the speakers for all to hear that was the real problem. He had missed the broadcast, but the others had whispered about it enough amongst themselves on the way home that it hadn't been hard to figure out. Julien may have forgiven Kimble and Aiden in his way for being openly gay but Julien was uneasy about extending the same courtesy to Kyle. He just didn't know the guy that well. Not that Kyle was really gay but who was keeping score? Skye's hold over the boy hadn't been truly sexual but it would be difficult for anyone without the empathy to fully understand that.

"I ain't in de 'abit of judgin' folks," came Remy's easy reply. There was more to it than that so he was quick to get to what he thought was the real point. "..but more dan dat, we don't leave anyone of our own behind. I know I keep sayin' it, but you don't seem to 'ear it, fils. I never would have left you wit yo' mom and Jerry had I known about you."

Julien, a creature of habit, deftly swerved, angrily countering with, "You would have taken me away from my mother?"

Remy sighed in exasperation. He should be used to this by now, Julien finding fault in the simplest of words. "Non, not like dat. I woulda asked fo' you. If she didn't want to give you up, I woulda at least gotten her and you out of dat place. She never woulda needed Jerry. You would 'ave never wanted fo' nuthin'. You never woulda known what it's like havin' someone beatin' on you. You woulda gone to school. I woulda been dere fo' you, been a real dad. Not playin' catch up like now. You never would 'ave been caught by Frost."

Julien nodded, his eyes distant out over the grass as Remy had spoken. He had heard all this before of course, but something was different now. He had watched this man risk all to fetch Kyle and bring him back. It was one thing to hear the words, another to see them put in action. If this man was willing to risk all to bring back a freak like Kyle, how much more would he do for his own kin? The one thing Julien could never deny was the parentage. All anyone had to do was look at their eyes. Now there was the ability to charge up a ship if need be. Everything was changing.

He nodded and said, "Okay."

Remy raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was one word, but it was the most acknowledgment the boy had given him of the efforts he had made over these past months. Progress at long last. About damn time. If ever there was a sign that bringing Julien on to the Red Team had been a good idea there it was, even more than watching the lad learn to fly was that one simple word. He would have loved to give Julien a nice big squeeze for it but he didn't want to push his good luck. Instead he offered, "You can come for supper if you want. Molly's always cookin' up sumptin' good."

"Thanks, but I was there for so long last night."

It wasn't a refusal, it was just a simple truth. Remy had forgotten that Julien had spent the night with Molly while the other kids had cheered Jason Frost's untimely demise. All that seemed like a lifetime ago now. Hard to believe it had only been just yesterday. "De'sole about yo loss," he said automatically to that, though in reality he felt that justice had been done. Maybe Julien hadn't thought much of the graveyard that Frost had left behind, but Remy would never forget it. It was blind luck that Frost had found favor in his son, it could just as easily been Julien's corpse that had been dug up with the others. "You change yo' mind, you come on by."

"Thanks, but Asher is taking me to the Bistro after."

"Bien." Remy nodded and held his good hand out, a sign of respect. Maybe the day would eventually come for that nice big hug, but for now he would just have to be happy with the one he had stolen while Julien had been unconscious in Romulus' holding cell.

Julien's eyes widened a bit at the offered hand in surprise. He took it though and gave it a shake. As their hands clasped, a strange buzzing sensation passed between them.

Remy smiled at it, but Julien frowned, frightened a bit. He said, "I don't want to hurt anyone again. I feel better with the collar off, but I can still feel all the power in me coming back. Does it ever go away?"

"Non, it never does. Don' mean it 'ave to give you any trouble. You'll feel better tomorrow when you've had some decent sleep. We'll work on your control. If need be, we'll have you syphon off into the Dragon now and again so that you ain't walkin' around wit a full charge. Got to watch yo' temper, eh? Sudden bursts of emotion can be a problem until you get de energy under control. Be mindful of what you touch."

"Guess I have a lot to learn," Julien bemoaned. It was going to be a long frightening process no doubt.

"You got some work to do, true. But don't let it get you down. You do what I say, listen real good, and you'll turn dis around, make it yo' friend instead of yo' enemy. Who knows, you get decent enough wit it, we can even put you on de list for yo own ship. It's done by merit, though, you got to earn dat place."

Julien couldn't stop the smile at the idea of that. Powering the Dragon had been a real trip, that was a fact. To be able to do that as a full time job would be a dream.

"We'll get dere, don't you fret," Remy promised and dared to pat Julien on the shoulder. The boy allowed it, another thrilling moment.

Still not wanting to push his luck, Remy smiled and walked away, returning Julien into Asher's fine care. The Thief was exhausted now, his eyes getting heavy with each step that brought him closer to home. Kimble and Aiden shared an apartment directly across from his own and as he passed, he lay a hand on their door. The place was absent any vibrations, they still hadn't made it home. He wasn't concerned, he figured that they were probably still outside, soaking up the last of the sun before it fell.

When he stepped into his own apartment, happy to be finally home, he realized that assessment had been wrong. While the livingroom was empty of persons, the place itself was full of too many vibrations for him to be alone. They were all full of happiness and peace and he couldn't help but smile at it. The Siskans were here with Molly and the twins. All of that combined made this a home. His home.

He found Kimble and Aiden down the hall with the twins. The twins shared a generous bedroom, one that not only had two cribs, but also a large futon that Molly used when she wanted to breast feed them or just cuddle up snug and warm. The Siskans had crashed on the futon, both of them out cold asleep with a sleeping twin apiece in the crook of their arms, safe and sound. Belle was at their feet, greedily hogging what was left of the bed. She thumped her tail at Remy in greeting, but was too comfortable to rise. Remy left her as she was.

Molly came from their bedroom, a soft rustle as she sidled up beside him. _**I didn't have the heart to wake them and send them home to sleep**_, she signed. _**They came to say hello and were out cold almost right away. **_

"I know de feelin," Remy couldn't help but joke. He was tired through and through.

_**Then you need to come with me**_, Molly insisted, a smile on her face as she tugged him down the hall towards their own bed.

At first Remy was a little sad, fearing he would disappoint her and whatever she had planned, but once she helped him out of his clothes and laid him down, he realized that all she wanted to do was cuddle. It was enough to have him finally home and all to herself. He couldn't have been more grateful and once he closed his eyes, was out cold himself.

**(break)**

The next morning Remy was up and smiling happily. He and Molly had made up for time lost that morning and his grin couldn't have been wider. A good solid breakfast had seen him on his way and now he was off to take care of the next order of business on his list.

He had scheduled a meeting for that morning and was happy to find his team already seated and waiting for him. They had commandeered one of the empty classrooms for this, he had wanted the kids to be seated far enough away from each other to ensure their privacy as they did what he was about to ask.

Kimble and Aiden had taken their usual positions behind the desk, waiting. As he had asked of Aiden, two large stacks of paperwork on the desk awaited them.

The kids saw him enter the room and to his surprise, they all stood and began to clap, praise for him. It startled him enough that he froze where he was, a blush flushing his face. He hadn't expected it, even more so since Grace, the one most likely to have put them up to it, was still away at Twilight. Even his Siskans had been caught unawares, though they too, began to clap. Kimble, his hands whole but still blackened, did his best in spite of the pain that still remained.

"Non, non, non..." Remy began to protest. He put his hands up but they did not stop so he joined them instead, turning it around in the proper direction by loudly saying, "Dis fo' you, dis fo' you, mes braves. You were only de very best, you give all you could and you done me more dan proud."

His words only made them clap louder, while others laughed and took bows, knowing he meant what he had said. For a first run mission with real danger, they had performed extremely well and they knew it. It was no secret that other junior teams had gone out on what was supposed to have been minor runs and did not come back whole.

"Just wanted to let you all know, since you de ones dat answer dat scramble quick and showed me all yo' very best, dat each an' every one of you on dis team fo' real comprenez? No more wonderin', it a done deal."

That was met with even more applause and cheers than his arrival had garnered. From the beginning there had always been that tension – would they get picked or not? Whose efforts were good enough and whose weren't? Now those questions had finally been answered and there was a lot of relief.

Finally they all settled down and Remy moved to the desk, placing one hand ominously on the largest stack of papers. "Now I know bein' on my team all official like have all de perks – nearly dyin', fun train rides, crazy creepy dudes wit claws – but all dat happiness come wit a price. Dese here field reports."

At first the kids had chuckled some at his attempt at humor, but that quickly turned to groans of dismay when they saw he was serious. This was no real surprise of course, they had been trained on how these were to be made out and could guess they would be coming sooner or later. All the teams had to fill these out, even the Gold Team who went out on the really big missions. The only real surprise was that the kids had been given a good night's sleep to recover from their ordeal before being put to this task, most times the upper management wanted them done immediately while it was all still fresh in their minds. Lucky for them, Remy had fought on their behalf with the powers that be, arguing that the stress of the events was too much for such a green team.

Remy picked up the stack and began passing them out. "Don' worry, you take all de time you need. Dere's snacks and drinks in de back. Nobody leave 'til dey all done." The mention of snacks was met with cheers, the idea that they had to wait for all of them to be finished, much less so. He was just trying to avoid the rush of half filled papers. Even so some of these reports were bound to be a little light on details.

"Once de reports done, you come on up here and take some of dese others. Dese peer reviews and I want you to each fill out at least t'ree of dem on whomever you chose."

That was met with perplexed faces. They had never done them before and it made them nervous. Remy saw it and was quick to reassure them once more. "Don't worry. While I may read some dem out loud, no one goan know who wrote what, eh? It's just to see if dere were any areas we could get better, d'accorde?"

Once the first stack of papers were handed out, he nodded to Kimble, saying, "Kim, you got a minute?" and they went out into the hallway. It wasn't like him to single Kimble out like that in front of the group, but he wanted to make sure the pilot was okay.

Once outside, Remy got right to the point. "You all right, cher?"

Kimble nodded but he kept his eyes down and away. He wasn't sure what his friend was fishing for. His hands had healed for the most part but there was lingering distress in his shine and he was smart enough to know Remy could see it. He didn't want to be bounced from the team because of it. He flexed his fingers, hoping it wasn't his shine that had Remy singling him out. "See? Alls better now."

Remy did not believe. Kimble's fingers may have been returned to normal size and shape, but they were still blackened. A hot ball of plasma energy from one of the producers here would have healed him instantly, but the addictive properties of that food source made it just too dangerous to use for just any injury. The sun would heal him just as completely, it simply took more time.

Remy wasn't satisfied with Kimble's unreliable answer. He had never been a good liar and he wasn't doing any better with it now. A quick check showed that they had the hallway to themselves. He palmed Kimble's face, making the pilot look at him and then kissed him on the mouth, using it to take a much deeper empathic read on his dear friend.

Kimble swooned a bit in spite of himself. He could never resist this, he wouldn't even try, even knowing this was the only kind of intimacy they would ever share again. Kimble loved Aiden on so many levels, but he was bonded with the Thief in ways they could never be. Here, in this moment as Kimble blasted him with unspoken emotion, Remy's empathic mind could feel what Kimble had not dare say. While the pilot was still suffering from physical pain, he was terrified more of something quite different and was doing his very best to hide it. _**Save me, keep me, shelter me from this pain, I am so afraid!**_

These kinds of messages from the Siskan were nothing new. Kimble had always been a very needy creature, even suffocating at times. It was why Remy could never have kept him for himself. He had married Molly not just to assuage his need for a family, but also because she was emotionally strong. Everything Kimble wasn't. So it while wasn't unusual for Kimble to be frail here, the real question was – of what was he so frightened this time?

Remy released him, locking his eyes with his own. He took his best guess and asked, "You can quit de Team any time, you know, if dat's what you really want. Ain't nobody goan make you go where you don' want to go."

"You knows I cain't," came Kimble's swift and bitter response. Remy knew Kimble was speaking of Aiden when he added, "I keeps seein' it when I sleeps, him there in my arms with his shine all dark and gone."

That was a loaded statement if ever there was one. Just the fact that he dreamed at all was a testament to how Kimble and all the other Siskans were truly alive. He wouldn't be capable of dreaming if he was really just some machine someone had made. At the same time, they tormented him the same as they would any other normal human.

Remy hadn't forgotten that Aiden had so nearly died or had at least given the very convincing appearance of a dead man. It was too soon for the Thief to have processed all that he had witnessed – Aiden recovering the way he had - and the following implication that unlike the rest of his kin, Aiden might be independent of energy or the sun giving plasma as a food source. It meant he would have more freedom and could be all the more valuable in certain situations out in the field. But was it anything more than that? Only time would tell.

But now at least Remy had gotten to the root of Kimble's current distress. Kimble had never done well with loss or even the threat of it. It was this as much as his strong desire to please that would make him submissively follow Aiden even into the most dangerous of places. He would endure the terror even if it broke him, just as it was doing now, a little at a time. Aiden meant more to him than life. More than his tenuous hold on sanity. If Remy thought it would do him any good, he would have bounced Kimble from the team himself long ago. Trouble was, he knew it would only make Kimble worse, not better. Kimble needed both Remy and Aiden in his line of sight as much as possible. Zander, as troublesome as he was, knew this and by stepping in during missions and practice sessions, was helping his weaker self deal with it as much as he could.

Kimble continued to express his woe. "There ain't no worse thing, seein' that over and over agains."

"It'll pass," Remy was quick to assure. Post traumatic stress was something he was very familiar with. He was confident enough to say, "We on de other side of it now. You just need a little time is all."

Kimble's voice rose sharply as he began to complain, "I cain't lose nobody else. I wouldn't ever walk away from it. He could walks from me, but not the other way around. I ain't strong like hims!"

Remy just shook his head. This he did not believe and his words were full of doubt as he questioned, "He ever tell you that he could walk away from you?"

Kimble lowered his eyes in shame. "Not them exact words, no."

"Den you know it ain't even close to bein' true. You an' him are goan be together long after me and my own are gone."

Kimble's eyes widened at what had never really been talked about between them. The truth was, no one knew just how long these non organic beings would last. They could be nearly immortal while the merely human Thief was not. Unfortunately the intended helpful reminder had backfired by being just another way of saying Kimble was headed for another big loss down the road, one way or the other.

"Aw, cher, you know I didn't mean it like dat," Remy protested, seeing the sudden change in Kimble's shine.

Kimble dropped his eyes again. "I knows. I just don' wants to thinks abouts that."

Remy kissed him again, this time quick on the forehead. "So don't. And stop yo' frettin' about Aiden, d'accorde? You got all of us lookin' out for each other. You an' Aiden, you come on by for supper tonight. Molly goan cook us up somethin' real nice."

Kimble nodded, feeling better now that he had spoken aloud some of what was hurting him, but not quite fully placated. As Remy had said, that would take time. Time and lots of love and good food and family. They were the best therapies ever. Hugs were good, too, and when Remy gave a him nice big one, Kimble finally smiled, squeezing back just as hard.

Remy released him and seeing that he was much better, changed the subject, saying, "Now I noticed Izzie wasn't dere in class. You know where she at?"

Kimble shook his head. "You ask Grace? She's her roommate."

"Grace still at Twilight, cher."

"I forgots." It was just another sign of how distracted the pilot really was.

"S'okay. Listen, you an' Aiden keep an eye on de kids. Don' let none of dem go till dey all done wit dem papers like I say, eh? I'm gonna go see if she in her room. I won't be long."

Kimble nodded and Remy left him. He was satisfied that Kimble was back on track and now it was Izzie's turn. Putting out fires, that is what a leader does Remy had found. They didn't put that in the manual he had noticed with some irony, most folks would probably bail if they had.

The room Izzie shared with Grace wasn't far from where Remy had held the meeting. Remy knocked on Izzie's door, not knowing what to expect. Girls were tough, though Kimble was tougher, he thought with a smile. Maybe that was a Siskan's true calling, breaking you in for unruly, emotional teenagers. He knew that with Izzie, anything was possible. For all he knew she might not let him in, she might not even answer his knock at all.

He got lucky. The slender purple fairy girl answered his knock at once. She seemed a little surprised to see him at first, but then she let him in. She hadn't been idle he could see – clothes were strewn about on her bed and a couple of open suitcases were there, partially packed.

"What you doin', girl?" he asked even though the answer was obvious.

"I've been meaning to talk to you." She was clearly nervous, fearful of what his reaction might be. Her lovely purple wings were twitching, a nervous habit he had seen more than once. She was so pretty and terribly sad all at once and it made his heart ache to see it. He wasn't surprised when she went on to say, "I can't stay on the Team. I know that means I'll have to change rooms, but it's okay. I don't mind."

He wasn't going to let her go that easily. He was soothing as he explained, "It was rough for everyone, chere. You don't need to go."

Izzie just shook her head, her pretty purple wings drooping all the more. "Yes, but at least they participated."

He raised his hands in exasperation. "Bien sur, but you did, too, by being there and not running away. Dat matters. I already tell de others today - everyone who made it out is guaranteed a spot on my team, includin' you."

"I'm just going to get myself or someone else killed."

"I don't believe dat for even one minute. I wouldn't be here if I did."

"I won't risk it."

Remy really didn't want to see her go and tried one last thing. "Look, take a light duty. You can keep trainin' wit de team, helpin' wit de schoolin' and such. Lord knows Trig's sorrowful ass ain't goan pass his math if you leave. You just don't need to roll out wit us if we get activated."

Izzie let the compliment on her tutoring skills pass. "It won't be enough. I won't waste your time or mine. I've been offered a spot in the early day care and I think I'd be better off there. As scary as toddlers can be, at least no one will die on my watch."

Remy smiled then, finally letting her go. He knew better than to try and hang on to someone who for all intents and purposes had already left. "Den it will be nice to know my twins will be in good hands. If you change your mind, you can always apply again."

She smiled at him relieved he wasn't going to press her too hard over this. "Thanks."

"De rien, fille." He wasn't going to let her go without a hug and when he opened his arms she stepped right in.

"It was fun training with you. I had a good time with that at least."

"It ain't goan be de same wit'out you," he replied, releasing her. "Well, I gotta get back. De others doing field reports. Only Kim and Aiden supervising. Dey probably got de whole room torn down by now."

She smiled at his joke. "Then you'd best go rescue them."

He gave her a quick nod and left, heading back.

**(break)**

Simone stood uneasily on the tarmac, clenching and unclenching his ebony hands as he waited with little patience. Hank had insisted that the quarantine on the Lucky Dragon last at least three days and Simone hadn't taken it well. Lucky for Simone none of the passengers on board had contracted the Flush virus, but still this was the longest he had been separated from his precious Mistress since she had claimed him for herself. Rogue had tried to help him compensate by using the Face Time video chat – Simone was just as skilled with an iPad as he was with an iPhone – but it wasn't the same. Yes, they could have a conversation, but Simone, being Siskan and a physical creature, had needed so much more than that.

Star was standing on Simone's left, awaiting her own Master as well. She was much more calm about it in spite of the fact that she was normally kept just as isolated as Simone was. Ever since Gryfon had misused her so badly to help him recover after his Honey poisoning, Hank had kept Star aside, all the better to keep her safe. She didn't mingle with many others and she didn't mind, she was happy with her life just as it was. She was much more patient and understanding of the quarantine because it wasn't unfamiliar to her. Hank's mental prowess was in high demand and he had left her alone on numerous occasions for conferences and the like. Most often he would try to take her along when he traveled but it wasn't always possible. In his absence, Star would amuse herself with books and games. She was a much more independent creature.

They couldn't have been less alike, these two. Simone was tall and black, well muscled, his large wings shimmering with red and blue highlights in the bright sun. He was more aggressive emotionally and couldn't keep still in his anticipation. Star was small and white, slender, shy and demure. She was calm and serene, dressed in crisp pink scrubs from the Medical Lab. Just under her low neckline, the top of her large Orange Mark peeked out, just enough that you would know it was there.

Because this pair never went anywhere on their own it was only proper that they should have an escort outside and Asher, being just as Siskan as they were, was the best choice for the job. Asher was well acquainted with his two charges though they were not so familiar with each other. The isolation that each one lived with didn't lend itself to building their relationship well, even if they were their own kin. They knew they were related, but not much beyond that.

Asher had been working on that, but Simone was the most stubborn of the pair. He didn't need anyone besides his precious Mistress and wasn't out to make new friends. Asher had hoped they might speak on the way out here, but all Simone wanted was his Mistress. He couldn't climb the topside stairs fast enough.

"Easy, kitten," Asher soothed Simone, leaning in close and sending him some vibrations of warm affection. "They ain't so mean as ta makes ya wait no longer than you haves to."

"Been waitin' too long as it is," Simone complained anyways, his wings as restless as his hands. He couldn't hide a soft cry of elation as the hatch opened on the craft and the ramp began to lower down.

Bobby poked his head out and squinted in the bright light. "Only three of you? I feel so unloved," he joked.

"Ah'm sure there'll be a party downstairs out of the heat," Rogue teased. "At least there better be."

Asher bowed at her, his soft grey eyes merry. "There most certainly is. The Bistro gots some booths reserved and the others are waitin fer yous there. There will be food and drink."

His words were almost lost as Simone's little remaining patience evaporated and the big black Siskan bullied his way up the ramp, not even waiting for it to hit the ground. Rogue had seen him coming and met him halfway, laughing some as he collided with her, his mouth on hers in a consuming, burning kiss. You would have thought they had been apart for months, not days. He was whimpering some in joy as he kissed her, his body pressed hard against her, his hands buried in her hair.

"Geez, maybe you guys should hit your place first," Bobby joked. "Unless you want to ask Fallen for some bed space. She has a spare room or two."

"We've all been inside this ship long enough," Scott corrected, looking out to see what all the fuss was about. He watched the eager couple on the ramp and frowned, never fond of such public displays of affection.

When Rogue heard Scott's voice, she gently pushed Simone back. She wasn't normally this affectionate out in the open but had indulged Simone because of their separation. Now it was time to make space for others. She wasn't the only one eager to depart and they had blocked the way down. "Let's go get sumpthin' ta eat," she suggested to Simone, not wanting him to think she hadn't been pleased by his affection.

Simone, having at least gotten the kiss he had wanted, relented easily enough, though he did insist on holding her hand all the way down the ramp and to the stairs.

Star had waited patiently for her turn throughout all this, not making any sort of fuss or sound in spite of the fact that so far, Hank had yet to make his appearance. Scott was pleased to see her restraint and as he came down and out, said to her, "Hank is bringing Gryfon out on a wheelchair. He'll just be another moment."

Star smiled and bowed at him politely, thankful for his consideration. "I kin waits."

Scott's wife Jean was right behind him and she smiled at Star, wanting to be friendly. She had seen Star many times in the Labs and in the Medical bay but those visits were never enough for her to get to know Star well. After learning what Star had been through with Gryfon, Jean wasn't about to begrudge her shyness. If she could at least let Star know she would always be welcome, that was enough.

Jean and Scott left Star to wait for Hank, dragging Bobby with them towards the stairs that would lead them below. All of them were more than ready to hit the Bistro for themselves. Fallen's ship could be very accommodating but it would never be as good as the Bistro. They had the best burgers in the Complex and the cheapest beer.

As promised, Hank was at the hatch door only a moment later. He had Gryfon in a wheelchair to spare his poor injured legs. Gryfon's arm was in a temporary cast to stabilize the bad break and he still had tape across his poor broken nose. The days in quarantine hadn't been long enough for him to recover enough not to look like he had been through the wringer.

The descent from the ship was a bit awkward, the ramp had some slope to it, so Hank took his care on the way down. It wouldn't do to have put this man to rights only to dump him out on his ass on the way down. Once at the bottom, Hank did take Star into his arms for a nice heathy squeeze. They shared a kiss, but it was brief.

Most of their restraint wasn't because Rogue and Simone had gone all out, but because Star was very nervous around Gryfon. She had seen very little of him since he had stolen her and that was by design. However on this day, she wasn't going to let her fears get in the way of her greeting Hank at his departure. She wasn't going to let Gryfon take that from her.

Gryfon was aware of her discomfort and since he owed Hank big time for his recent care, was quiet and did his best to be invisible while they caught up. He was bundled up in a blanket against the air conditioning inside Fallen's ship but now in the heat, he pulled some of it back. His body was still severely battered and bruised, his lower half tightly bandaged. He had been medicated for the trip back down to the Complex and averted his eyes from Star, not wanting her think even for a minute that he would ask her for any aid. He would not have her heal him.

Being stranded on the Lucky Dragon had given Gryfon many long hours to think. He knew that he had to call in the Gold Team when he had, but he could also understand how they might think he had abandoned the Red Team out there in the snow. Hank had done his best to reassure him that he had done the right thing in such a bad situation and no one was more proud, given his recent disabilities. Hank did admit that he would not have been comfortable with Scott's decision about sending Gryfon so untried out in the field, but now since Gryfon had handled himself so well, he was now happy to grant limited approval once he had fully recovered from his injuries.

Gryfon felt better having Hank's approval, but he knew he still had work left to do. Hank might trust him but Gryfon doubted many others did and with good reason. He knew the darkness was still there inside of him, ready to leak out. Maybe he could use that to his advantage, maybe not. Only time would tell.

Last to depart from the Lucky Dragon was Fallen. Seth had not come to greet her but she didn't think twice about it. As insecure as Star and Simone might be, her own shy Siskan only went outside under duress. He had witnessed his brother Kimble's many struggles with the people in the outside world and wanted none of it. He would have their apartment all done up and ready for her, she knew. He was as much of a romantic as Kimble was. That was fine by her, she would rather have Seth to herself than the happy crowd at the Bistro anyway. She locked up her precious ship and was gone. She was happy to have been of some use, these folks had been kind enough to give her a permanent home and she was always happy to help out.

Down below, the party at the Bistro for the last returning X-men was lively and pleasant. It was a special event and Xavier was on hand to welcome them back to the fold. He had missed Scott, his second in command, and was happy to have him once more accessible.

Scott was happy enough to see him come. He had drunk a beer and ate some of the best pizza he had in weeks, but he had more on his mind than food. He made his way over to the Professor and said to him, "We need to talk."

Charles nodded, knowing this was coming. "In my office."

Scott agreed and they went the short distance to Xavier's quarters. They both wanted the privacy for what was to be sure a tense exchange of words.

"I know why you are upset, Scott," the Professor said, even as he took his place behind his desk. "This is about Logan."

"I can understand the thought process behind sending Logan out, but I am unhappy with how Logan was affected. We're not a kill squad."

"I agree," Charles was quick to reassure. "But these are dangerous times we are living in. I am being forced to use every tool at my disposal to try and earn for these kids the decent, normal life they deserve. I am forced to fight for it, to fight these evil men who would wrest from them their rights simply because of what they look like or what they can do.

"It isn't fair what I asked Logan to do but I knew he would do it because he is an honorable man. He knew what was at stake here. He is willing to cost himself to save the lives of others. He didn't do it for himself, he did it for them and his family. If he hadn't believed the cause was just, he would have walked away from that train station – but he didn't."

Scott just shook his head in irritation. "I know you are asking me to just blindly accept this but I can't. What kind of world are we making for ourselves if we have to murder children to survive in it? There had to be another way, I just know it. If we kill to solve our problems, then we are no better than the rest of those monsters out there we keep fighting. No better than Butch and his Outkasts, this guy Romulus. I won't have it. I'll walk away first."

Charles sighed and rubbed his brow. "I understand what you're saying, I really do. But you have to realize that he did what he did for her as well."

"I don't understand," Scott growled in confusion. Logan had murdered the girl. How was that doing her a favor?

"You have such a gentle heart," Charles praised, a wistful smile on his face. "..but the world is anything but. If Logan had in fact been able to retrieve the girl alive, what then? We do not have the facilities here to contain her and even if we did, she would have been in a small cage for the rest of her life.

"Worse yet – what if Logan had brought her out alive only to have Fury seize her under the laws of Homeland Security? We survive here but by his grace, don't forget that."

"Fury could never root us out of here," Scott argued in disagreement.

"Don't be so sure. At the very least he could make it difficult beyond measure for us to resupply. He could starve us out without ever dropping a single bomb."

Scott shook his head but said nothing more so the Professor continued. "If Fury were to have gotten his hands on that poor girl by force or otherwise, it would have been bad for her indeed. They would have kept her alive, no doubt, but they would have experimented on her, studied her. She would have been a lab rat forever at their mercy and I won't have that, Scott, I just won't. There are fates far worse than Logan's claws given in mercy."

Scott was quiet a moment. He had never heard as much emotion in the Professor's voice as he had just now. The man wasn't fooling around or just throwing words around, he had genuinely felt for the girl. Still, Scott was firm. "There had to be another way."

Charles sighed and rubbed his hands together, feeling their age. "I had known the girl was so very young for two weeks before I sent Logan. During that time four hundred more people perished to the disease. All those lives lost are on me, for my inability to make a quick decision. I really wanted to bring her here and keep her, I did, but in all that time, I couldn't find a safe way to do so that would spare any of our people. We have almost as many non-mutants here as we do our own kind and if any tiny particle of her poison got out they would all have surely perished. It was just too risky. At the same time I wouldn't let anyone have her to use for their own sick purposes just as Marcus was already doing. It had to come to an end and there was simply no more time."

Scott stepped back and turned his head away. He knew these words were true but they hurt so very much. This wasn't how they did things, they were not killers by nature. But then, this had been a very bad and unusual situation. He didn't doubt that Charles was wrong about Fury, the StarkTech bullets had only backed that up. They would have weaponized her far more than they had already and that could not stand. Not for any reason.

Scott relented, saying, "I am aware of the pressures you are under. I also get it that sometimes you have to sacrifice one of your people for the greater good. I just think maybe it's time to put Logan on the 'do not touch' list."

"On that we can agree."

"He may need to hear you say it to his face."

"I would be happy to do that."

"How about tomorrow?"

Scott had expected the Professor to balk at so soon a date, but the man readily agreed. "That would be fine."


	3. Chapter 3

(Three)

True to his word, the next morning Scott met the Professor in the Complex's large underground Solarium. Their going to Twilight wasn't kept a secret and Remy had made sure to tag along for this venture, wanting to see Logan and Kyle for himself. Rogue had also invited herself, using the conjuring of a door as an excuse for Simone to see to Leroy, the tiny goat man was a good friend of his. Their visit with Leroy would allow the others the privacy to deal with Logan as they wished without having to worry about being overheard.

Once everyone had assembled, Simone worked his magic and conjured up a doorway to Twilight, motioning for them to pass through. He was in a much better mood now that his Mistress had been returned to him and he was much more agreeable, smiling and happy.

Xavier motored through the doorway Simone had created, unable to help feeling a bit awed by what he was seeing. No matter where in or around the Complex Simone might conjure a door to Twilight – topside or here underground - it almost always opened out onto the same locale.

This was a bit of an adventure for the Professor. Being in charge of such a large facility and all of its various crews, he had little time for any sort of field work, even for just a quick visit such as this. It was a bit of a treat. Having the underground Solarium meant that he could leave his office for a park like experience but it would never be as good as traveling to an official, authentic environment that was different than the Arizona desert outside the Complex itself. Getting there through a simple floating door just added to the excitement and adventure of it all.

Before Charles now was a dirt road that acted as a border between a spacious field of brightly colored flowers and the beginnings of a generous forest. The trees looked and smelled like pines, but the eye knew otherwise. They were just a little off looking, a little alien, and could never be confused for the real thing.

The air was rich with the smell of Honey, a syrupy substance produced by the nearby colorful Yum Yum flowers. They looked like tulips but were anything but. They smelled great, wholesome even, but it was well known now that the Honey they produced was toxic to mutant humans, producing secondary mutations that most often killed the host. Both Hank and Gryfon had survived the experience but had been forever changed and somewhat damaged from the ordeal. They would have to be careful not to get too close. Even the smallest amount of Honey could be dangerous if they got it on their hands by accident.

There were no paved roads here but the group entered onto a smooth dirt pathway that had been since been strengthened with crushed stone. The motorized wheelchair Xavier was currently using had been rigged for the rougher travel with more power and thicker wheels. He could handle the rougher roads here with it easily as long as he wasn't reckless. He had to admit that the longer he was here, the more exhilarated he felt. He was having a blast in this new environment even if the reason for his visit was less than pleasurable. He would have to do this more often.

Once fully through the door, he took a better look around, trying to get a feel for this new place. He had to admit that the field reporting from his people was impressive, they had captured the details of this place quite well. The flowers, the trees, the slight gloom. It was bright but there was no exact sun you could point out. It was warm here and slightly humid. This was an island but being surrounded by fresh water instead of salt so that ocean tang was missing from the air. He could see why his people loved it here and were happy to take the chance to stay for a while.

It was Charles' first time out here and long overdue. He had people coming here for months and he should have taken the time to visit himself but life as usual kept getting in the way. He knew there was a village of sturdy log cabins not far from here, but he didn't expect his visit here would take that long.

His people were not alone here, some low level SHIELD forensic staff still remained temporarily from their joint investigation of Jason Frost. Most of the evidence had already been removed but they were still digging up the cemetery and bringing the remains back home in the hopes that maybe some of the victims could be identified. DNA samples had been given to Hank and he was adding them to his vast database, doing his part to help out. Xavier was hoping that the news that Jason Frost had been murdered in jail would not hinder any of those endeavors.

Once everyone had passed through the door, Rogue took Simone's arm and nodded slightly at the Professor. "We'll be vistin' with Leroy just up the way. We won't be long."

"We should only be a half hour or so," Remy offered, taking his best guess. Most times Logan was a blunt man and kept his conversations short. He didn't think this would take much time at all.

"De altar dis way," Remy then directed and moved in the opposite direction. The Thief had been out here a great many times recently, checking on Grace's progress with Kyle. So far the poor girl hadn't achieved much but he was trying to keep her from losing hope.

As they moved along the dirt road Xavier was becoming more and more aware of the strangeness of this place. The air was too clean, there were no pollutants here to taint it. He could hear birds but the songs were different. The woods thickened as they moved along, but still seemed somehow empty.

"Is there much game here?" he asked, curious.

"Non, dis why we been bringin' de boys deir food."

Remy wasn't empty handed. He carried a good sized picnic hamper and a gallon jug of bottled water. Most of the food supply for the Pack the trio had formed did come from the village, but he thought today he would bring some special extras, perhaps Logan could be encouraged to come home with them this time, maybe not. Gambit was a patient man these days and wasn't too concerned either way. While he couldn't picture John ever leaving this place, he didn't see Logan staying forever. With Kyle he was still unsure.

They arrived at the altar and Remy began unpacking the hamper. He had brought some of the usual fare – two roasted whole chickens and two raw, but as an extra treat he had also brought along some chocolates, roast beef sandwiches, cheese, and fresh red apples, the kind he knew Logan favored.

"Do they always eat here?" Xavier questioned nervously. The stone slab was clearly not set up as an actual table. There were no chairs and while the food was laid out on clean butcher paper, there were no actual dishes or eating utensils. A spray bottle of an organic cleaning solution had been left here and Remy did use it to clean the surface before laying out the food, but this would not be considered fine dining by far.

"Dey like it well enough."

Scott was quiet this whole time. This wasn't his first visit but this place had always unsettled him. It never left his mind that if not for Simone, they could be trapped here forever. He would rather be home, especially today. He wasn't looking forward to Logan's reaction to Xavier being here.

Done with setting out the food, Remy picked up a cow bell that had been placed on top of the slab and gave it a brisk shake. "Chow's on, mes amis!" he called out. Now they would have to wait. Could be a couple of minutes, could be longer depending on their mood. The island was large, but the Pack's territory wasn't and with the Pack's enhanced hearing, there was no way they could have missed it.

Today there was not a long wait. There was a sound of breaking foliage followed by sharp barking. Kyle and John came barreling out of the lower shrubbery on their hands and feet like dogs, snarling and scratching at each other in a race to see who could get to the slab first. It looked savage and mean, but Remy's sharp ears caught the laughter in the barks and his eyes saw the brightness of their playful shines. This was a game, nothing more. They came up to the slab but didn't actually take anything yet or even acknowledge their guests. They were still fussing and rolling about in the grass when Logan strolled up, dirty and naked and yet the only one that came out on his feet like a man.

"Cut it out, boys," Logan growled, his piercing blue eyes all on the man in the chair. "We've got company today."

The two smaller men complied, but Remy smiled to himself when he saw their shines. As gruff as Logan was, he wasn't in charge. It was John. There had been a slight nod as Logan had spoken, a sign of respect. Funny how that was. Remy had assumed Logan would be top dog, but then, perhaps not because his stay was only temporary. Remy had no doubt Logan would come back home, it was just a matter of when.

Logan went up to the stone slab, looked over what was offered, and smiled when he saw the sandwiches. His eyes met Remy's in a brief thanks before he took a wet nap and washed his hands, the only of the group to do so. He then took one of the sandwiches and bit deep, savoring the well made meal.

Remy was looking him over but trying not to be too obvious about it. The man's shine was ten times better than it had been at the cabin. The time out here had done him good. Well, it was a bit darker once that he realized Charles had come, but it was still much better. Remy's quick eye also caught the white streaks at Logan's temples, something new. The resemblance to Romulus was uncanny and gave the Thief a bit of a start. He didn't like the idea of his teammate being anything like that freak.

As good as Logan looked, Kyle was many times better. He had finally put on enough weight that it was actually noticeable, quite a feat considering how long he had been out of shape in their care. He was where he needed to be, obviously. Two weeks here at Twilight had done more for him than the months he had spent at the Complex. Not all of the changes had to do with better living conditions. Remy quickly spotted that Kyle's legs were continuing to straighten and his snout was less pronounced as if those big fangs were shrinking. His hair was full of streaks that were almost as white as John's.

Any sign of Kyle's terrible burns were gone. He had healed fast and you would never know that anything had been done to him at all. Of course Remy knew, he could still hear the boy's screams in his dreams. It was going to take some time for him to forget them, assuming he ever did.

Kyle and John ignored the sandwiches and went right for the chickens. John grabbed for one of the roasted chickens, tearing into it with his claws and gorging sloppily, not caring that he swallowed bones as well. He was making quite the mess but grinning all the while. Kyle took one of the raw ones, eating it with the same animal relish. Remy was hoping for some kind of change in that regard, but ever since raw meat had been offered on the slab, he went for it every time, leaving the cooked meat to the others. It would have bothered Remy more if the boy's weight gain hadn't been so obvious. At this point he would take whatever worked.

Once Logan had downed his sandwich and reached for another, Xavier began what he hoped was going to be a productive conversation. "You've been gone a while, old friend. We understand that you needed some time off, but we need you back."

"Sorry, not up fer killin' no little girls today," came the sharp reply.

Scott and Charles were taken aback by his rude candor, but not Remy. He had seen this kind of rebellious anger in his Siskans, Zander in particular. Logan was hurting and so wanted them to feel bad – as well they should for making him do that terrible thing.

"It was never meant to be that way," Xavier tried, though he couldn't deny the facts. "If there had been any other option, believe me I would have taken it."

Logan just snorted. "You think that just because my body heals quickly that my mind does as well, but that ain't true. You shoulda told me what I was walking into. It shoulda been my decision how it was to be handled."

"You're right and it won't happen again. The situation was so vital that I just reacted while we had the chance. I couldn't let her go. We had to act."

"Mindy," Logan snarled gruffly. "Her name was Mindy."

Xavier sighed, rubbing his brow in frustration. "Mindy, of course. I know you think I regard her as less than a person, but that is not the case at all. I don't know if you can appreciate the pressures I was under. I am the number one telepath on the planet, there is little I don't know or can't find out. They all come to me from time to time - government agencies, freelance, World Health agencies. This time, it was all of them at once, demanding my help. They wanted me to help for the same reasons they fear us so much – because I have weapons and resources at my disposal that they can never have. The fact that many of these weapons are actually people never seem to factor in to their many requests. In this case, they were demanding I end it.

"Knowing how many have died, I was more than eager to help. But perhaps only you can appreciate my horror when I discovered the source of the disease was actually a child. But even after that terrible knowledge, how could I not act?"

Remy found himself nodding here in spite of himself. Julien had lost most of his family to the disease and he was only one of many who had suffered such losses.

And then Charles said the most surprising thing. "Logan, you don't always think this way, but sometimes you are merciful Death." Logan bristled at that, but Charles raised a hand that asked for patience as he tried to explain. "There was no hope that we'd be able to contain Mindy, I am so sorry. And if not us, then who? Do you have any idea what they would have done to her? They would have made her a prisoner, tortured her, experimented on her. You know this to be true just as I knew that you would do what they would not - treat her like a person, give her dignity and the respect that she deserved. And you did so with gentleness and caring. Better for Mindy to have met your kindness than their cruelty."

Xavier continued, pleading Logan with his eyes. "So yes, I did unleash the weapons I had at my disposal. I didn't tell you about her age and circumstances because I knew if there was any other way the situation could have been handled, you would have found that way. As it was, you and I both came to the same conclusion. There was only one way to halt this epidemic and you were in a unique position to handle it because of your healing abilities. I am sorry to have involved you in this way, but the truth is, in order to save so many lives, I would do it again. This is what it means to lead, sometimes you have to sacrifice one in order to save the many."

Remy looked away, a flush warming his cheeks. Even though Xavier was speaking to Logan, he couldn't help but think those words had also been meant for him in regards to what his team had just gone through.

Scott had something else to add. His voice was gentle as he asked, "Can you say you wouldn't have done the same exact thing if you had known ahead of time?"

"No," Logan answered honestly. There hadn't been much choice about any of it really. He had already had the same reasonings about Mindy's death even as he had murdered her. He had known it had to be done and why. "But I wouldn't have felt so ..._**used**_. I can't be your point and shoot weapon, Chuck. No matter what you might think about me, I ain't wired that way."

The Professor nodded in quick agreement. "We understand and we have both agreed that you have done more than your share. You will never be asked to go out on a mission like that ever again, not without all of the facts. You have my word."

Logan squinted and sniffed, using his own special means of lie detection. At least for the moment the man seemed to be sincere. "All right."

He then looked at Remy. "I never got a chance to thank you for coming after me. I know it cost you."

The Thief smiled in appreciation. "I'd like to t'ink you woulda done de same fo' me and mine, mon ami."

Xavier gave them a moment and then said, "I do hope that you will return to us though I would understand if you didn't. Perhaps we can arrange a permanent residence here for your family if you wish it."

"I gotta think some on it," Logan replied, not yet ready to make a commitment to anything. He had been mollified by the visit but there was still some lingering hurt. He was already looking back at the trees.

"Just so you know," Remy interrupted with a smile. "Set' investigate dat file Butch hand over. Got some merit to it. Nice to know Butch don't lie about everyt'ing."

"He lies about enough," Logan snapped in reply, but he was interested. "So I got another kid runnin' around out there."

"Oui, so long as you consider a clone to be yo' kin. But Set' ain't quite sure where she at fo' sure. Once we know we'll put some kind of plan in place. You'll be de first to know."

"Thanks."

Remy then turned to Kyle who had gleefully finished the first raw hen and had started on another. "How 'bout you, fils? You ready to come back? We could use you, too."

Remy doubted the boy would say yes this early and he was right. "Mrr!" Kyle growled. "Not ..yet."

The Thief just smiled at him. He had wanted to ask so that at the very least Kyle would know he hadn't been forgotten. "You take all de time you need."

It wasn't a brush off and Kyle knew it. He smiled at his Team Leader and grabbed what was left of his chicken and trotted off into the trees, wanting a little more privacy.

Remy expected John to follow him, these two were rarely separate, but the feral man was hesitating, something gleaming in his eyes. Gambit knew what it was – John thought Kyle should stay with him. It wasn't anything more than fatherly concern, but it was very strong.

"It still 'is decision, homme," Remy said, making the Professor smile a bit in wonder. The man hadn't said anything and yet the Thief still had known what was on his mind. "Ain't nobody goan make 'im do what 'e don't want, least of all me, je promets."

John nodded, accepting this for now, and then followed him out. Only time would tell which of them was right.

**(break)**

"This is a bad idea," Karen groused. "He's not going to come."

"Give it time," Grace advised, a faint smile on her lips. Her eyes were searching the woods though, her words betraying more optimism than she actually felt. "Sometimes they just want to take a look first."

Karen nodded, knowing that already. She was one of the Complex's resident psychologists, but her specialty was dealing with ferals, helping them to integrate to a normal human life, or as close as they could anyhow. It was this interest in ferals that had led her to Logan's side and later, into a marriage with the gruff loner X-man. Three children later and it hadn't gotten any easier, especially with his tendency to run off for days at a time when things were bothering him. He ran away instead of talking to her which would have made the marriage easier. The loneliness had hadn't been easy but her love for him was still very strong.

It was that love that had brought her to this strange place. Twilight was different she had been told, but she hadn't fully appreciated just how odd it might be until she came here for real. The bright yet gloomy lighting was odd in itself, but more than that was the strong smell of Honey that pervaded this whole place from the flowers that grew here and nowhere else.

Karen had come the day before and settled in a cabin with Grace, wanting someone familiar as her guide. Karen had counseled Grace before on how best to deal with her feelings for Kyle, though she hadn't been told about how far Grace had taken it that day before the mission until afterwards. Now there were no secrets between them.

Grace had been in Twilight for three weeks now but this was Karen's first trip out. Grace was quick to help out and get her settled in for what might end up being an extended stay. It was easy company, helped by the fact that the cabins had been improved since Grace had been here last at Jason Frost's unwanted behest – running water and real toilets had been installed, a major plus. It wasn't even like camping.

Grace had been kept busy these past days while she had tried to lure Kyle out for the occasional conversation. As promised Kyle's information jacket had been delivered and she had pored over every word. She had been made to sign a Non-Disclosure agreement of course, since most of what was in it was deemed classified and she might yet return to the Complex without her intended in tow. Now that Karen was here, the resident psychologist and an expert on ferals, Grace had plenty of questions that Karen had done her best to answer. So far the answers were only fueling the hope that Kyle wouldn't be out here in the trees forever.

Karen hadn't come alone. She had dared to bring Carter, her and Logan's three year old son and his favorite. She was hoping to use the child as a lure to bring Logan out where they could talk. She knew Charles and Scott had come out to speak with Logan but they hadn't been able to persuade him to leave though they had come very close. She wanted her husband home and safe. It was time.

Carter at least was having a good time. He was the only one of their three children to test X-gene positive but the exam had been only a confirmation of what was pretty much blatantly obvious. He had the blunted fingers that betrayed future claws and the enhanced senses to match. Right now his nose was fully engaged, he was sniffing around in the dirt and grass, thrilled to smell such vibrant scents in this unpolluted world. While some mutations came later in life, around puberty, Carter's enhanced senses had kicked in right from the get go.

Carter's head snapped up at something only he could hear, his eyes wide. "Daddy's coming."

"How does he know that...?" Karen muttered though it was rhetorical.

There was the sharp pop of a tree branch breaking and then a pale white head poked out from some nearby shrubs. Not Logan, but close. John.

"Hey, old man," Grace greeted warmly enough, though she was cautious. John had become the leader of this impromptu Pack early and he was always the first one to check out anything new or unusual. Grace was hoping he wouldn't think Carter was a morsel tasty enough to eat.

Carter and John eyed each other, noses going. John slid out from the brush, coming closer. He was as white as a person could get but that perfect brightness was marred by dirt and leaves, he clearly hadn't had a wash since he had come out here. His beard was filling in and his hair had grown out some, making his ears look less pointy and large. He was still a strange sight.

John wanted to get a better look at the child but his eyes were all on Karen. John might have been the most wild of the trio but he had lived as a human long enough to know a mother always protects her young. He was wary she might attack him and was taking this nice and slow.

A gruff bark halted John and he looked behind him as Logan finally made an appearance. He bullied past John, unusual since he had accepted second position here, but that was his kid. Rank and file ended where family began.

"Geez, Karen," Logan growled as he put himself between John and his son. "Why did you bring him?"

The question was sharp but his anger didn't hold. Carter toddled forward and into his father's arms giggling with happiness. Logan was smiling now, his big arms swallowing up the lad. It was an odd sight, Carter was dressed in bright toddler blue while Logan was naked and as filthy as John was. His hair was tangled and matted, though Grace's sharp eye didn't miss some bright streaks of white at his temples that hadn't been there before.

"Daddy's all dirty!" Carter squealed, but not out of revulsion. He began tugging sticks from Logan's matted hair as if it was the best game in the world. "Daddy needs a bath!"

Karen watched this, letting them have their moment. She did gasp softly when John crept closer to give Carter a deeper sniff. Logan growled at him just a bit and he backed off easily enough. He hadn't meant any harm, he just wanted the introduction. "His name..?" John grumbled, curious.

"Carter. He's mine."

"I knows he's yers," John complained irritably. "My nose is just as good as yers. If yer thinkin' of him runnin' with us he's yer problem he can't keep up."

"He's not running with us," Logan was swift to correct. "What kind of idiot do you think I am?"

John sniggered at that, but he was watching Karen again. She didn't seem to find any of this banter funny.

She didn't. She was crouching in front of Logan now, not to retrieve her child, but to look Logan in the eye. "It's time to come home."

Logan didn't answer immediately but his arms tightened a bit around his son. He knew why she had brought him now, clever girl. Now that he had Carter in his arms and hearing his happy cries, he was loathe to let him go.

At the same time he couldn't argue that the time here hadn't been good for him. All that guilt and horror and shame had bled away from him with every romp and chase. There wasn't much large game here but there were some rabbit like creatures that had proved tasty enough if you could get a hold of the damn things. Kyle had dubbed them 'Hoppers' and the name had stuck. Kyle had proven to be the more nimble hunter, but being low man, often gave up his winnings to the dominant pair of males after they gave him a merry chase. It hadn't bothered the boy much, the town kept them well fed. Hunting here was simply done for pleasure, not out of necessity.

The Pack order had hadn't taken long to establish, they had just simply fallen into a routine. John had been Bree longer than any of them and took point, dictating where they would nest and when they would hunt. Logan had just rolled with it and Kyle was too weak to fight them over it. When the two larger males didn't try to beat him or humiliate him for being lowest man, Kyle settled in just as easily as the others had. The terms of his submission had been gentle enough as to be hardly noticed. The loss of a few Hoppers was worth it to be in an established Pack that felt like family.

It was quiet here, peaceful, and the company good. They nested in the trees, failed miserably at fishing though it had been fun to try. No one from the small collection of cabins had hassled them or tried to run them off, nor had any of the Pack come to town looking for trouble. It had all gone smoothly and there had been peace. Logan wasn't sure if he wanted all those easy days and pleasant nights to end.

"Come to town at least," Karen offered, trying to compromise when she saw him hesitating. "Have a bath and shave. Put some clothes on and see how it feels."

"Mrr! Do what... she says," came a gruff, broken voice. "You.. Mrr! ...ain't the same as us."

Logan closed his eyes, knowing it was the truth.

Karen stood, wanting to see who had spoken. She should have guessed, this Pack was a threesome after all. Kyle had finally made an appearance. He had been noiseless as he had entered the clearing and silent again throughout their whole conversation until now. His head was down, keeping his eyes off of Carter. He was the low man here though the others hadn't given him any grief over it. Just the same, he wasn't about to risk Logan's ire if the man thought he might go for the child. He might not be the only cannibal among them – John was guilty of that darker appetite himself – Kyle was the only one that Logan had actually seen hunting down and eating his own kind.

Kyle hadn't spoken much since he had come here and it showed in the broken tones of his voice. Words had always been hard for him, something that hadn't changed even after all the good rest and well rounded meals.

Grace smiled at him, happy he had come. She had let Karen and Logan do their thing. It was Kyle she had come for and now that he had finally showed himself to her, he was all she wanted. She had come to the woods every day since relocating here and while she had often heard the boys crashing through the trees around her and caught glimpses of John and Logan, Kyle had been keeping his distance. He was well aware she was in Twilight, she had seen dirty hand and foot prints on the steps around her cabin that she knew had come from him visiting her in the night. He had even once left her a crude bouquet of wild flowers, though never the Honey filled Yum Yums, they were too dangerous as he well knew. He left her other things – some pretty stones polished by the large lake. Another time he had left her a large fossilized canine tooth wrapped on a rawhide string from some ancient creature that he must have found. She had been hoping that now that some kind of actual contact with the Pack had been made that he would come back to her. She couldn't keep the hope from her voice as she asked him, "What about you? It's been days, Kyle. I really miss you."

Kyle grumbled deep and low, but it wasn't out of anger. While he had known from the start that Logan wasn't going to stay he wasn't so sure about himself. He had found this particular life to fit as comfortably as nice soft pajamas. This bed was sweet and he wasn't close to being ready to give it up. He stamped his hands and feet, something he did when he was frustrated.

She reached out to touch him and he shied away. It made her sad and she retreated, disappointed. He seemed to sense it and took a step towards her to make up for it. She reached out, encouraged again, but he still shied away from her. It tanked her spirits once more but not all of her hope was dimmed. Karen had explained to her earlier that he might do this. It looked like he was teasing her but what it really meant was that he still wanted to be near her, but he wasn't quite ready for full contact. He needed more time. Good thing that she loved him enough to give it to him.

Meanwhile, Karen was having better luck. She had managed to get Logan to agree to come back to the cabin with them and get cleaned up, all the better to have more quality time with his son. Not wanting to give him time to change his mind, the group packed up and headed back to town, Logan carrying Carter up high on his shoulders.

Grace followed, happy for Karen but still just a little bit jealous. The rest of the Pack stayed close, but off of the road and moving through the trees, barking and dashing about. Once the trees thinned, though, they gave a couple of sharp barks and then vanished.

Their departure made Grace sad but she kept it to herself, not wanting to disrupt Karen and Logan's increasing happiness. Knowing they might want to some alone time back at the cabin, Grace offered to take Carter, something that made Karen smile.

Grace was happy to have the boy. One thing she had seen quickly was that Carter was as much as an even keel person as she was. He was happy to have seen his dad, but then was just as happy to have Grace show him around the camp a little more.

Grace took him to a quiet place, one she had visited often. Here was the little cemetery that Jason Frost had once filled with the bodies of the young mutant kids who had died under his less than tender care. Most of those bodies had been removed for identification and burial with their real families back home. Some had been returned, those who'd had no families to go back to. It was the hope of the living that maybe they would find real rest even here now that the island had been liberated and friendly people had moved back in.

It was in this same place that the body of the brave young Cristof had also been laid to rest. He had explained to Grace back in the day that he had no family and so here he was. He had a nice marker and it was to this nice shady spot that Grace led Logan's young son. She pointed to the gravestone and began by saying, "Do you know who this is? No? Well, then you're in for a treat. Let me tell you about one of the bravest people I have ever known..."

**(break)**

Several days later, Grace returned to the stone slab and lay down the half carcass of a slaughtered goat upon it as though giving an offering to the gods. Today the fruit and bread that she had brought there from the morning remained. Sometimes it would be taken, other times not. But the meat was always gone when she came back. In all of her time, even with Cristof, she had never imagined herself doing this, feeding the wild one she had grown to love. It was quiet now and so she sat down, her back to the slab and opened her Kindle to read. The Pack was unpredictable. Sometimes they came right away, sometimes not at all. Their number had shrunk by one – Karen's visit had proved fruitful and Logan had gone back home with her that same day. Grace had yet to share her good luck.

Today was a short wait, after only a few minutes there was a rustling through the nearby shrubbery and a head poked through, giving her a sniff. As usual when the Pack came it was always John who came first.

"Hey, old man," Grace greeted softly, careful to make no bold moves. She was still as he slithered all the way out and came up to the slab, his wary eyes never leaving her face. His large white hands touched the altar, but not the meat. He stretched up like a dog, his teeth clacking loudly around the ankle of the hind leg before dragging the carcass down to the ground. They never ate the meat on the slab, using it as a table like a normal human might, it was always taken down to the dirt as though it added extra seasoning to the meal.

At first Grace was disappointed, thinking Kyle wasn't going to show today but then there was a soft bark and John next had some real competition for his dinner. John had the hind leg, but now Kyle was grasping the fore leg, growling playful laughter around the bone. He was half in, half out of the shrubbery. He had been hiding there perhaps to gain better position when the inevitable tug of war was to begin.

Grace sat as she was, smiling slightly as they argued over the meal. They were never angry or mean about it, probably because there was plenty to go around regardless of the outcome, it was just a game. They tugged and pulled, muscles bunching as they tested each other's strength. There was a loud crack as the poor carcass gave way under the abuse and John danced quickly away with the larger portion, dashing off into the branches before Kyle could try and claim more for himself.

Most times Kyle might give chase but today he was content enough with the lesser half and with animal absent mindedness, flopped down next to Grace and began gnawing away, grumbling contentedly as if in a purr. He was sprawled out on his belly, his legs outstretched behind him like a dog on a cool hard floor, the hunk of carcass across his arms, his face right down it as he tore off what he wanted with his large, sharp teeth. Grace slowly lay a hand across his back, petting him gently, waiting for him to finish eating before trying anything more.

The first time she had tried to touch him while he was eating he had snapped at her, protecting his meal. But gradually after much time and persistence, he came to realize that she wasn't trying to take anything from him, but rather was trying to give him something instead - reassurance and company.

Kyle ate greedily, swallowing whole chunks of the goat meat without chewing them much. Once down to the bones he broke the smaller ones down and crunched them loudly, a sound that Grace didn't like all that much. It was something she had done her best to get used to. It was true that being in love meant you could forgive much, but it was hard. That and the smell of blood on his breath. He at least did his best to wash his face when he was done, at first by licking his chops, but then later accepting wet naps Grace would bring for him.

As she touched him gently Grace looked him over, seeking out war wounds. She was seeing over time what both Logan and Hank had suspected – the changes that Skye had wrought were slowly coming undone. There could now be no doubt that his legs were straightening and his face flattening out some, looking less bestial in spite of his large canine teeth. At least his healing factor seemed unaffected, there were no injuries or scars that she could see on his skin though she had seen John slash him with his claws over a meal more than once now.

There were other changes in him that she could see. His light blonde hair was now streaked with bands of bright white, like a professional highlight job gone awry. His skin was slightly pale now, but since there was so little sun here, it was hard to say if that was a Bree effect or simply the boy losing what minor tan he might have had from running Remy's drills back in the Arizona sun.

Kyle finished his meal and nosed the larger, now cleaned bones aside. He rolled onto his back and grumbled at Grace, his lips spread in what passed for a grin these days. She handed him a wet nap and he used it without complaint, releasing the soft scent of fresh lemons into the air. He was all bones and lean muscle, but while he might look emaciated by normal standards, he was actually putting on weight, thriving here in this feral environment. He was certainly eating more than he ever had at the Complex, mainly because so much of it was raw. Grace was beginning to despair that he would ever return to a normal human diet.

He took her hand, careful with his long sharp claws, and rubbed her palm to his face, smelling her, probably learning more in this way about where she had been than if she had tried to tell him with words. He closed his eyes then and taking a long slow breath, softly growled her name into her fingers. It took Grace by surprise. He hadn't talked much since they had set him free here and like his old eating habits, she had feared that he had discarded proper speech forever.

"Well hello to you too, Kyle," she answered back, leaning down closer with a smile. "It's been a while."

He squinted at her in confusion and she knew why. She had seen him just that morning and had been there at least twice a day since he had began accepting food from the stone slab.

She gently tapped a finger on his nose. "I miss this Kyle."

"Still...mrr! ..here," he grumbled back in a coarse chuckle, the words coming out in rough chunks like the meat he had just eaten. He was looking at her intensely now, something that was happening more and more. Like there was so much he wanted to say but he just couldn't quite manage it.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" she questioned earnestly, it being so important to her not to lose this form of communication. Her biggest fear was losing him altogether in a separation as permanent as the loss of Cristof had been. Her luck with ferals didn't seem to be holding up all that well.

Kyle could sense the sadness in her words and raised a hand to her face, again being careful of his claws. He had scratched her in the past without meaning to and he was always leery of touching her now, something she hadn't wanted. It was almost worse than losing his words.

Impulsive now and well, pretty much tired of waiting, she came down to him and kissed him, gently at first but then with greater passion when he didn't fight it or turn away. He took the kiss, grumbling that rough purr of his at first, but then outright growling as he let his emotions get the better of him. He had always wanted her as much as she had wanted him but he had been fighting it, not wanting to lose control again.

It was a real danger. Their kiss continued and the deeper it was growing, the more he felt that slim control start to slip. Before he knew it, he had rolled her and was on top of her now, forcing her down like he had before, his claws bloodying her arms as he pinned her down with his teeth at her throat. The movement had been instinctive - he had always hunted his human prey this way, first rolling them and then strangling them with his teeth. With the few women he had been with there had been little distinction between the rape and the kill.

"Kyle, stop!" she gasped, losing her air. She struggled feebly against him, forgetting just how strong he actually was. He was so slim in his build, but yet far more powerful than she. Being better fed than the last time they had gone through this, she was even more powerless to stop it.

"Wait! Wait! Don't hurt me!" she continued to scream, tears swelling out of her eyes as spots appeared. She was going to pass out, she just knew it. So stupid to think she could ever have controlled the situation. She could see them in flashes now, the faces of the women he had raped and then killed, the photo images a gift from Logan who had made sure she had read Kyle's full jacket before she had dared to come out and see him. She was going to be like them now, just another in a long string of dead girls.

The black was closing in so she didn't realize it right away when she was actually able to breathe normally again. The terrible pressure of his teeth at her throat had eased and the claws that had bitten deep into her skin had retracted. He was still atop her, but he was shaking now, just breathing in hot pants against her skin.

Grace, clearer now, shifted and reached for his face. "Kyle...?"

He let her move, lifting his upper body some but not quite letting her go either. He kept his face turned from her, not letting her hands get their way.

"Kyle... look at me..."

He continued to passively disobey, still in control. "You...know... mrr! ...what... I am.. Mrr! And you... you come anyways. Mrr! Why?!" The last word was a barely audible snarl of frustration. He was still hard against her.

Grace sighed and let her hands rest on his neck since it was all he would allow. As much as he was complaining that it was Grace pursuing him, she also knew that he was doing more these days than simply leaving her wildlife jewelry at her doorstep. Three times now she had found her cabin broken into and she knew now that it had been him there inside, disturbing her things. Nothing had been stolen besides one of her favorite sweaters and she had no doubt that he had taken it back with him to whatever nest or den he had for himself. Was that all he had done? Had he seen the file that Logan had given her? Probably. It wasn't like she had tried to hide it or anything. It didn't matter, she told herself. She wouldn't let it. Her vision was still blurry from tears as she replied in a voice roughened from his teeth, "You know why. Because I love you."

"S-someone like .. me? Mrr!" he questioned sharply, shaking his head a little in disbelief. "Impossible!"

She raised one hand to palm one of his cheeks. She had stopped trying to get him to look at her, but maybe she could still get him to listen. "A wise man told me... sometimes you don't get to choose... who you fall in love with," she replied to that, thinking of their fearless team leader. Granted Remy had used those words in describing his Siskans, but she felt they still applied nonetheless. "Sometimes... things just happen. It's no use trying to fight it."

He shook his head again. This was impossible. Twice now they had tried to act upon this connection they shared and both times all he had done was hurt her. "Mistake.."

"It doesn't have to be," she insisted, this time making him look at her. He allowed it, but his eyes were small and hard as glared down at her, filled with frustration and shame. "Listen to me," she said, happy now to finally have his full attention. "We can do this, you and me, if you slow down and just listen to me."

He tsked her, not believing her for a minute. This had already gone on too far.

"Don't give me a hard time, mister," she teased oh so carefully, making sure the laugh was clear behind her words. "All you have to do is trust me, can you do that?"

"Mrr! Don't ... trust ... me."

"Well, I do," she insisted though in reality she wasn't sure she could pull this off. She did feel, though, that if they didn't get past this stage of things now, they never would. She wasn't one to put off things. She faced them head on, the sooner they would be behind her. "So let me show you."

She kissed him then and he let her, stiff at first, but then slowly melting. He had hurt her enough to bring her to tears but still she wouldn't let him go, not until this was done.

Grace wiggled out of her clothes, just as impatient for this as he was. The moment he finally plunged into her was one of pure joy at first, that big rush. It had been a long time for Grace - in spite of her playful and somewhat flirtatious manner, there hadn't been anyone like this since Cristof. But that joy faded fast. The better it felt for him, the more urgent his need became, the rougher the play went. He was growling now, his sharp teeth snapping at empty air with each thrust as he did his best to fight the urge to actually bite her.

It was frightening and it killed her previous high. The pictures Logan had insisted she see in Kyle's jacket had showed that the women Kyle had raped had been all chewed up. The sounds he was making now were scary and she grew more and more tense. This was no tender lovemaking. It was all rough and animal and not the least bit fun or loving for her. At least it was quick, he shuddered hard as he finished after having made no attempt to make it nice for her at all.

Now that it was over, she couldn't help but compare. Doing this with Cristof had been very different, he had already learned to control this part of his life when they had met. Kyle was miles behind the curve and she had been much more abused.

Now that this was done, she was bruised and hurting, not really happy with how it had gone. He had relented with his teeth but still dug in with his claws. He needed the scent of blood, she reasoned. Some of the other girls had had their throats ripped out. She had been so very lucky.

The feeling of disappointment was mutual she could see as he heaved himself off of her. He hadn't finished her and he now knew it to his shame. He could see the blood and the damage he had caused, but that wasn't the only reason he was feeling so sick inside. The only one who had even come close to teaching him what real love was was Skye and the Siskan had used the empathy to do it. Kyle had been in his thrall and that special magic had not only healed Kyle's poor broken body from Jael's cruel work, it had also ensnared it with a powerful addiction. That same empathic power had cooled the rougher edges of his passion, allowing him to finally learn how to make love and not simply brutalize his way to a climax. The rush of that power had been amazing. That was gone now. As much as he felt for Grace, it hadn't been the same. It was cake without the frosting - still sweet, but definitely lacking. He couldn't keep the disappointment off of his face as he backed away. At least he hadn't caused her serious injury.

"Kyle.." she begged, fearful he would run.

It was justified. He shook his head and retreated even further towards the trees that beckoned. "Told you.. Mrr! Mistake!" he hissed in a furious growl before he turned and in a blur of green leaves, was gone.

"Crap..." she muttered to herself and tried to compose herself. Her clothing was torn and bloodied, her body lead heavy and stiff. She hurt in places she didn't know she could and tried feebly to console herself that at least she was still alive to feel it. The others hadn't been so lucky.

She dressed as best she could, rising on legs that barely held her. She was limping and had only shuffled halfway back to camp when a white shape melted into her path. "John?" she questioned, surprised to see the older man this close to the cabins.

"You can't have him," John said in reply. "He belongs to them trees just the same as me. He might comes to ya now and again, but it won't never be fer reals. You should just lets him go."

John should have known better. As much as what he had said stung her, all his words did was make Grace stand a little taller, ignoring the crack of poor abused bones as she did so. "You'll have to forgive me, Dear John, if I don't consider you the best person to be giving advice on love."

He just chuckled bitterly, showing her a fearsome bit of fang. "Not love, kid. Bree. He's gone it and he ain't never comin' back, not the way you wants him to. Best if you just let him be and be done with it. Before he hurts you fer real."

Grace frowned angrily, her feathers ruffled. He might be speaking the truth after all, but she was in no mood to hear it. "I need a bath and a hot meal. Let me by."

He growled at her, disgusted that she wasn't listening, but he complied and like a banished bad dream vanished back into the shrubbery.

She stumbled back to her cabin and slipped inside, happy that no one had seen her in this state. She was a mess with her rumpled clothing and mussed up hair. Her neck was probably one huge bruise by now from Kyle's teeth. She wasn't the only one messy – the inside of the cabin was a bit of a mess, she was never that tidy. As if in answer to her earlier unspoken question, the file Logan had given her on Kyle was still out and opened just as she had left it, the bright ugly pictures all splashed with red there for anyone to see if they'd had half a mind. He had to have known that she had seen his earlier, less beautiful works of art.

Grace was lucky, they had given her one of the few cabins with running water. They were still upgrading the rest but it wouldn't be long before this was a small town for real. She had a nice hot soak, taking her time about it, and felt much better. With so many of her aches pleasantly soothed away, she took a nap and then went outside to sit on the front steps and think things over. She had taken a blanket out with her and had it now up over her shoulders for comfort. She wasn't quite ready to give up on Kyle, not even after today, but she was going to have to change her game plan if she didn't want to get mauled again like that. It was dark now and she sipped a cup of sweetened coffee, listening to Twilight's version of crickets, happy creatures always ready to share their night time songs. _Music to plan by_, she teased herself, laughing softly.

She cocked her head when she heard the soft sounds of breaking branches to the front of the cabin and then Kyle was there, creeping up slow to the steps. He came in low, his shoulders slumped in submission. No, it was contrition as he lay himself at her feet, not daring to look up at her.

Grace, her heart huge, smiled at him. "It's okay, " she said gesturing for him to come.

He did and tucked himself up against her, taking the lower step so he could put his warm body between her legs. She shared the blanket, giving him most of it and he lay his head on her knee with a mournful sigh. "I didn't...want .. to keep hurting you."

"I know," she replied, petting his poor tangled hair now. There was mud and twigs in it, how they would ever get it clean she couldn't hazard a guess. "It'll be hard, but I still want to try. I won't give up on you, even if we can't be that way again for a while, okay?"

"Okay..." he breathed, his lips pulled back in a dreamy grin now. He was glad he had come now, glad for this. She was so nice and warm, her lovely scent filling his nose.

Grace just smiled to herself. Now she knew John was beyond wrong. Kyle was hers and only hers. It was just a matter of time and well, she had nowhere else to go. Not until this was finished.


	4. Chapter 4

(Four)

Hank gently pressed on bruised skin. "How is that?"

"Better," came the grumbled reply.

Warren Worthington, these days known as Gryfon, was a poor patient. Over the past days he had recovered easily enough from the Flush once he had been pumped with the proper antibiotics, but the broken arm had required a surgery to properly set and the gun shots had been a trial. The man wouldn't stay still and rest.

"This won't heal if you don't take it easy," Hank continued to complain. He understood that most of the high powered crew he worked with were always impatient to recover as quickly as possible, but these were not casual injuries he had suffered. The man's lower back was still one huge bruise. The bullet holes had closed nicely but the area was still raw and sore. This seemed to be taking longer than it should though he wasn't sure why. The puncture holes from Daken's claws in his legs weren't much better, though he could walk a few steps at a time to the bathroom and such now without assistance.

All Gryfon did was grumble some more in complaint. They would never understand. It was in the way Remy kept looking at him, that sideways glance that just about screamed "coward." He knew the Thief hadn't quite forgiven him for bailing on them in the trees even though it had all worked out in the end. The excuse that was given - that he had left to call for help - didn't seem to sway the untrusting Thief any though the man never said a word. It was in those scary red on black eyes. Gryfon wouldn't be going out with the Red Team again anytime soon, not if Gambit had anything to say about it.

So, if he was going to regain the field, Gryfon knew he had to get fit again and fast. Scott at least had appreciated his efforts, checking in with him often. Hopefully the man would see fit to place him on another team, one that might be more welcoming, hopefully. To make that happen Gryfon snuck into the gym whenever he could, pushing weights with his good arm and walking as much as he could. The walking hurt the worst, his back couldn't take the pounding well and his thighs still ached from the puncturing Daken had given him. Those claws had gone deep into the muscle and he struggled to do more than ten minutes at a time on the tread mill at a very slow speed that would easily accommodate a ninety year old man, but he was still determined. Ten minutes today, eleven tomorrow, twelve the day after that. Whatever it took.

"How's your pain?" the doctor asked next.

_What a stupid question_, Gryfon bitched to himself. He had always been in pain even before this. The secondary mutation hadn't been kind to his body, a sort of karmic punishment for his idiocy. His crooked legs always ached, his clawed hands forever scratching himself when he was dressing or sleeping, leaving streaks of blood everywhere. How did Hank ever get used to having such things? Ridiculous.

"Fine," Gryfon lied, even as Hank's continued explorations forced him to wince.

Hank knew he wasn't being truthful but Gryfon was healthy enough that he let it pass. He had plenty of other things to do and so ushered Gryfon back to his bed and then made his way to the labs deeper within the medical bay.

Even these days later he was still processing some of the remaining evidence the group had collected from Daken's truck. Though they pretty much knew what had happened on that day between all of the testimony and field reports, he still wanted to be thorough. Not to mention clearing up some of those pesky questions – as in who was related to whom? Romulus could make all the boasts he wanted, but that didn't make him right.

The results Hank had received from his investigations so far had been interesting to say the least. He had been lucky to have plenty of blood samples to work with, not just from the truck but also from Gryfon's jacket and the bloody clothing Remy had thoughtfully brought him that Logan had left behind in Twilight. Those had been heavily drenched in blood from the fight in the hanger, most notably from Daken, the man who claimed to be Logan's son.

Both sets of clothing did return a match that came up as familial to Logan, verifying that Daken was indeed a blood relation, almost certainly a son. It was exciting enough news that Hank was disappointed that no good samples from Romulus had been collected. He would have loved to confirm or deny that man's familial claim as well. On one of his visits out to Twilight Remy had been able to collect some hair and saliva from John and yes, the claim of a close familial match had been verified. It was all so very exciting.

As far as Romulus' claim that these particular ferals he had been collecting were all part of some kind of special separate race, Hank couldn't really prove one way or another. The feral traits themselves weren't enough to float such a thing realistically. Not without a much larger group of DNA samples anyhow. He himself had doubts. It was the same as Magneto claiming that anyone with enough magnetic ability to twirl a paper clip was one of his. As far as Hank was concerned these were mutants who by luck of the draw simply shared some similar traits. Nothing more.

As Hank devoted hours to all of this deliciously engaging activity, Star silently joined him. The nice thing about having such a thoughtful partner was that she knew when not to pester him with conversation. Just being with him was enough. She would bring him tea and a sandwich on a plate without having to be asked. He often forgot to eat when he was captivated by research, this was nothing new.

Beyond building a feral family tree, Hank had other distractions. He had taken a good hard look at the medical patches Logan had recovered from Marcus' body and was pleased to discover that yes, they could be backwards engineered to learn how they were made and of what they were composed. Hank had been quick to send his findings to the CDC who were very appreciative. They were already beginning to send out preliminary samples to many of the quarantine camps that had been constructed for the Flush victims. It was widely rumored that a full on cure was only weeks away. Hank couldn't be more pleased. It sort of made up for what Logan had been asked to do, though Hank would have much rather have had a cure come about without young Mindy having had to be sacrificed. Well that was water under the bridge and unable to be reversed.

Perhaps there was another way to make up some of that for Logan. Remy had also given Butch's thumb drive to Seth and the investigation on that was well under way. Seth had at least managed to prove that such a girl did in fact exist with strong hints that she was indeed a clone duplicated from Logan's genetic material, something that rankled deeply. It was bad enough that stolen DNA from both Logan and Sabretooth had been used to force mutations in subjects like Kyle. Now this. There were also some disturbing reports of this same girl being a highly trained assassin responsible for the deaths of over a hundred people even though it seemed she was little more than fourteen years old. Seth wanted to dig deeper before he assumed any of it was true. He was hoping to be proven wrong. Just in case, an operational plan to retrieve this mysterious clone of Logan's was already being patched together even without a positive destination yet in mind.

Right now Seth's priority was locating the girl, something not so easy to do. She was moved around a lot but over time Seth was beginning to see a pattern, something he could later exploit. Once he nailed it, they would go after her. Being a lab rat was bad enough, but no one wanted there to be even a chance that Romulus would get his paws on her. He had treated Kyle badly enough, Hank shuddered at the thought of what he might do to her. Sometimes it was worse being female.

Seth was keeping Hank updated as much as possible, adding to Hank's already hefty workload. Hank didn't mind - a busy Hank was a happy Hank, especially with his precious Star always so close. As hard as things might have been for him lately with the changes the Honey poisoning had wrought, he still wouldn't trade this life for any other.

**(break)**

"How long do I have to keep doing this?" Julien complained though his voice wasn't that bitter. It wasn't like this didn't feel good.

"Does it make you stay calm?" Remy countered.

"Yeah."

"Den forever probably," the Thief joked. "Laissez les bons temps rouler, non?"

"What does that even mean?" the boy questioned. His French was very limited.

Remy just laughed. "Never you mind. You just keep doin' what you doin'."

They were back in the Dragon 2, the younger man in Remy's pilot seat, his hands on the charging handles. They were not actually flying, the sturdy craft was parked nice and easy on the tarmac. They were here alone, this wasn't a flight lesson. They had been coming out here sometimes as often as twice a day, letting the ship drain away most of the kinetic energy that Julien's body had to give. It was accomplishing two things – first, the Dragon was always fully charged these days between both of them feeding her, and second, it was helping to keep Julien's nerves cool and calm.

Unlike the past, these two were actually getting along. Having a common interest had helped more than Remy had thought it would. Julien was quite taken with the ship and the added prestige of being able to power her up had given him a much needed ego boost. He paid attention better now, listened to what his more experienced father had to say.

Remy had also taken him to the nearby work site where Seth was in charge of building the Dragon 3. It was the same size as Remy's special craft but had some improvements that Seth was also trying to find ways to add to Remy's ship as well. The Dragon 3 was almost completed and a fourth had just gotten under way. It was an unspoken incentive for Julien – if you want this it's yours for the taking. As he had already made clear, Gambit couldn't just give Julien the next open spot, it had to be earned. There was much to doubt, Julien's past behavioral problems were enough to get him black listed – Julien was technically still on a SHIELD probation even though Fury was pretty much leaving him alone. There were always bigger fish to fry.

Gambit was doing all he could to help the boy along especially since they had made some sort of peace. Julien did not shower him with anything that resembled affection, but he had the lad's attention. Julien was finally listening with both ears and watching him with both of his matching eyes. Inspired to do even more, Remy was also taking him on extra trips to the gym. Remy had long since learned that rough or strenuous exercise helped to keep him level as well and he was quick to pass this on to his son. The Dragon 2 might not always be available for his use as a syphon. Not only was Julien getting stronger from all these workouts but he was showing some ability with the bo staff now that he was taking the time to give it his full effort. Julien had inherited far more than his father's eyes, his enhanced flexibility and quickness had been passed on as well. Gambit couldn't have been more pleased.

Julien himself was thrilled. He had Asher whispering in his ear – these were Gifts, not Curses and were to be used to do God's work as God had intended. With his much calmer mind, Julien was accepting these things as truths, as his ability to do positive things in the world. It made all the difference. There was nothing like being filled with noble purpose to put some real steam in a person's stride. Asher did not complain, not since it looked like the boy wasn't putting a twisted spin on it like Frost had.

Remy had noted that even though Julien was feeling much better about himself, it hadn't been enough for him to approach Kiden, the young girl whose picture still graced the boy's pocket. Julien was watching her, though. Remy knew that the girl was partway spoken for – her mutation was one that allowed her to create ghosts for herself, ones she could interact with. They had kept her good company as a child and one had grown even more close than a simple companion. They had become intimate. It was up for discussion if that meant she was available or not, but Julien hadn't quit her, not entirely. No, he watched her very closely, turning away only when her beloved ghost, Lucas, made himself visible to all. Remy felt bad for his son, first crushes were always hard. It was complicated by the fact that Kiden had probably saved Julien's life, taking him in and giving him shelter when his hand had first been broken. Frost had picked them up together and that relationship had come to an end once they had gotten separated. The decision to renew that relationship was Kiden's as far as Remy was concerned and he would do nothing to force her mind one way or the other. He just hung back and let things happen, making himself available should Julien want to talk about it.

Julien hadn't so far but one thing Remy had gotten from having so many Siskans under his charge was patience. With things fairly calm now, he had all the time in the world to wait and he would wait as long as it took.

**(break)**

Remy walked up to Grace's cabin, his clever eyes roaming over everything. He noted the clothes hanging out on the line, especially the pair of very male underwear drying there. There was one pair of muddy boots on the steps but next to it were the leftover mud impressions of a second pair that had been right next to them, the mud not yet dry.

He knocked on the door and Grace answered, her face breaking out in a wide smile at the sight of him. "Hello, stranger."

"Not my fault de time difference," he joked. To him he had only been here a few days ago. But to her it probably been more like two weeks.

"There's coffee," Grace offered, inviting him in with a sweep of her arm.

"Perfect."

He entered and took a look around. Things were neater here than the last time he had visited though the place still looked very lived in. The files and papers had been stored away and the table cleared. The cabin wasn't large and he took in the neatly made bed, but also the sleeping bag and pile of blankets on the floor beside it.

"He still won't use the bed," Grace lamented, having seen where his eyes had gone. "But at least he takes a shower every night now."

Grace was lucky that this cabin had a full bathroom, not just a toilet. It had taken many tries, but she had finally lured Kyle in for a nice hot shower. She had been forced to use her feminine wiles – flashing him just enough skin to let him know he wouldn't be going in there alone. He relented quickly after that. What she didn't know was that Skye had used the same tactics himself to domesticate the poor creature Grog, as Kyle had been known when Skye had discovered him. Kyle had known few pleasures in life, but a hot shower was one of them. Even better was to be shaved. Skye had done that as well and when Kyle invited her to do the same, she was willing to give it a try. It hadn't gone well, she had cut him. He forgave her for it, but after that Grace was too shy to use a razor on him again. She was more than happy to keep his rough beard nice and trim, a gentle compromise. He would sit quietly for it, loving the intimacy of being groomed.

The makeshift bed on the floor looked recently used and Remy asked, "He don't sleep out no more?"

"The last time he slept out was the last day you visited. He's gone most of the day but now he's home every night. He's making real progress. He should be back in an hour or so."

"Nice he got a routine," Remy said, smiling when Grace handed him a steaming cup of coffee. He sipped it with approval. She had made it just the way he liked it – strong and very sweet. Not much got past her.

Nor him. "Dat a new bruise?"

Grace rubbed her neck self consciously as if she could remove the teeth marks there. "He's getting better. He doesn't do it on purpose and he always feels bad after. He's really trying."

He nodded, seeing the truth of it in her shine. Or what she perceived as the truth anyhow. He still didn't like it. He really wished that Grace would have let the sexual aspects of their relationship wait until the boy had been more properly tamed, but they were kids and kids were never patient. Remy had kept the intimate particulars of their relationship from Charles knowing the Professor would never allow this to continue. Remy's motives were entirely selfish. He knew the only way to get the boy back was through Grace and he was letting her handle it. He didn't want to lose either of them to this place.

Grace may have been impulsive, but she wasn't reckless, not where Kyle was concerned. She had learned that lesson the hard way that day out by the altar. Since then she had taken things very slowly. Yes, she had joined him in the shower and some careful, cautious exploration had occurred along with the wash, but it was only just yesterday that the pair had dared to properly complete the act they both wanted to share.

They had taken it slow and this time she had insisted on the top position, forcing him to submit to her, at least in his mind. It had kept him from rolling her and for the most part kept his teeth at a safer distance, though he had managed to get one quick snap in there, at the moment of his climax. It was more of a pinch than a bite so she let it pass, thrilled enough with the fact that their intimacy had been nice and easy in every other respect, deeply loving. With time, she had doubt that even his teeth would learn their limits. Love had a way of fixing all of that.

Remy was perceptive. He couldn't see all that in her shine and in her body language, but he gleaned enough to know that she had won a victory there. They were intimate now and she was still alive. He was going to let it slide, for now. It wasn't like he had been able to stop them anyhow, no matter how much advice he had given her on being careful.

"Can I get you something to eat?" Grace asked, being the proper host. The cabin had a small kitchenette built in. She was lucky to have gotten a cabin with both electricity and a propane powered stove. "The food came yesterday and we've still got steaks left."

"Sure," he agreed to be polite.

As she opened the refrigerator he noted wrapped steaks, but also plastic bins of shredded raw meat, labeled for Kyle.

"He still take it raw?"

She smiled back at him, amused by his nosiness, but her eyes were pained. Her voice held weak humor as she replied, "He lets me par boil his chicken now."

"Every little bit helps," he teased back with sympathy.

She chuckled softly at his joke and got the steaks out. One thing about being on her own these past weeks, she had learned how to cook for herself. On his occasional visits, Remy had taught her some of his own tricks and now she could sizzle up a steak with the best of them.

"You t'ink he'll come home for good some time?" Remy asked as she set down a plate of food in front of him.

She sat down across from him with her own plate, her eyes a little sad. "I don't think he'll leave John. They've gotten very close."

Grace had left the front door of the cabin open when Remy had come in, the air was sweet and warm. Remy kept his eyes that way as they chatted and ate their meal. Grace had said it wouldn't be long before Kyle finally showed up and she was right. They had just finished eating when Kyle came from the trees, stooped and bent from being on his hands and feet. However, he was dressed in regular clothes and noticeably cleaner. His hair was combed and his face neat and clean, a definite improvement.

Kyle's eyes were keen and his nose sharp. As soon as he noticed his Grace was not alone he immediately stood up straight, sweeping a hand back through his long bangs to neaten them. The motion revealed just how white Kyle's hair had become, something that had happened fairly fast. He wasn't fully white, more like a nice surfer platinum blonde, one that hadn't come from a bottle.

When he came to the door it wasn't so easy to see the feral man that had been running naked through the trees only weeks before. It wasn't just the much better grooming, Remy realized with a start that the boy was dressed in a normal pair of jeans. His legs had straightened enough for that. His face was flatter but those fangs were still there and Remy could only hope that the healing factor that Skye had restored at such a heavy price remained. It would be shame if all of that had been for nothing.

Kyle sniffed at Remy, his lips peeled back just enough to show the tips of his impressive fangs. It took Remy a moment to realize it was actually a smile.

"Bonjour," Remy greeted.

"Hey," came the soft reply. "You come.. Mrr! ..to take my Grace?"

Remy startled a bit at that, that hadn't even been close to the reason for his visit. It was also something he would never have considered. This pair was like Kimble and Aiden, he counted them as one package not to be broken. "Non. I come fo' you, fils."

"Me?" Kyle couldn't have been more surprised.

"You t'ink maybe you could come home a bit. Help us out on sumptin'?"

Kyle lost his smile. The last time this had been asked of him, it hadn't ended so well. "Not such a good.. Mrr! ...idea."

"Den maybe you lend us just yo' nose, eh?" Remy teased. It had been the tracker he had wanted after all.

"What?" Kyle didn't get the joke.

Remy waved it away with a hand. "We got a line on dat girl Butch claim was Logan's. She like yo' sister, you want to t'ink of it dat way."

That just confused Kyle. He already thought of Molly like that though they had never gotten close. Molly just didn't trust him anywhere near her kids and he didn't exactly blame her. "Will.. Romulus be there?"

"Hopefully, non. De idea is to get dere first. But we gotta go quick. We wasted enough time already just tryin' to find where she at. Now we know."

Kyle considered his options, his tawny eyes on Grace. "Do I .. Mrr! ...have to come back for real .. Mrr! ..if I do this?"

Remy shook his head. "Non. Karen and I agree it best you come little at a time. You spend some time 'ere, some time dere. Always wit Grace. You don't come alone unless you want."

Kyle's fearsome grin grew wider. "Mrr! Then yes."

**(break)**

In a small half lit room, in a building far underground, a young girl sat on her cot waiting. This bed and this room were like a thousand others she had been in, the environment always changing while the orders never did. They wanted her to do things and she did. That was just how it was. This was the only life she had ever known and so the constant movement never fazed her. It was the waiting she could do without.

Bored now, she raised an arm and popped two shiny claws out of one hand, watching them gleam in the half light with her cold, dead eyes. They hadn't coated her whole body with Adamantium – they hadn't wanted to stunt the growth of her still tiny body – just the two claws that lived in each arm. Claws that had killed before and would again, once the orders were given. Until then there was only this - snickt in, snickt out - the sound the only thing in the room.

The end - for now.

Author's note - I just want to thank everyone who read, especially Liz who reviewed just about every chapter I posted. Just to clarify - Romulus, Daken, and X23 are not mine though pretty much everyone else new here was. Hope I was at least somewhat true to character on those guys for those who know. Don't know when I will be posting again, hopefully it won't be another four years, lol. Thanks again, everyone.


End file.
